Hunt, Kill, Love 2
by wickedworrior
Summary: Two months have past. Bucky is trying to adjust, Steve is still on leave, and Natasha is rarely seen at Avenger tower. After a dark mysterious plot is discovered, a old group will come out of the shadows, and they're after Natasha. The game of Cat and Mouse begins, but who is the Cat and who is the Mouse? (Sequel to Hunt, Kill, Love).
1. Chapter 1

_**Prologue-Two Months Later…**_

The streets were quiet. Leaves were flying across the road, they were swept up into the air as a car passed. New York was not a particular quiet city. Construction had been working around the clock, trying to repair the damage. They were almost done to. Brooklyn was not hit as hard as the main city.

The occasional construction truck would drive by, otherwise it was quiet. Fall had taken its hold, and the sky was cloudy and the blue sky was able to be seen in certain parts of the sky. The leaves were rich fall colors. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon and add colors to the clouds. The ground was still damp from the rainfall the night before.

Steve had been on leave for two months now, and no one knew the exact day he would return to Avenger tower. A bullet to the chest would do that to someone. The other Avengers were in the tower. They had been busy for the past two months with the new freelancing job. Only possible with Stark's funding. Tony had been working on new gear for everyone. None of it was done yet, but that didn't stop him from talking about it constantly.

The only Avenger that was seen as rarely as Steve was Natasha. Tony always had theories of what they were both doing. Being together, or if they were in different places of the world doing their own thing. But they had no proof of what they were doing. None of them knew that Steve and Natasha had been in a relationship for three months, it could be almost three years, since their partnership anniversary was coming up.

The only one that sort of knew something was going on was Clint. Natasha asked him to stay quiet, and by asked; she snuck into his room and held a knife to his throat and threatened him. Clint was fine with not telling, he enjoyed Tony's theories and how they were sometimes so bizarre. He knew better than to get on Natasha's bad side. So he kept quiet, but they both told them all at separate times that they would be back sometime around Thanksgiving; which was next week. Tony already had a Turkey.

Steve offered to cook, which was instantly taken up on; they all loved Steve's cooking. Tony had been asking to try Steve's secret coffee, but Steve said it was a Roger family secret. He only gave the coffee to himself and Natasha. Tony always took offense to it in a sarcastic way. He tried to talk Natasha into giving him the coffee, and yet she didn't even know how to make it. Tony finally gave up on it. He would have to be somehow related to Steve, to be able to get that coffee.

Bruce had taken his time off with reading and meditating. Tony called him Zen master sometimes. Bruce stuck with tea, and he rarely ever got into an argument. Even if it was about what Steve was doing. Bruce had his own theories of what Steve and Natasha were doing, but he kept it to himself. He did have to wonder what they were doing.

_**Steve**_

The clock read 7:32am. No matter what they did, Natasha always woke up at seven forty. Steve was out of the bed and he was in the kitchen. He was making her breakfast. He made her eggs the way she liked them; sunny side up. He was also cooking hash browns. Natasha seemed to have this craving for them every morning. Steve was more than happy to wake up a little earlier to make her breakfast. He always made her breakfast to see her smile.

Steve put the food onto a plate and the toaster pinged and Steve grabbed the toast and he put butter on it. He placed it in the open space next to the eggs. He put the plate on a tray and he looked at it. He turned back towards the counter, he was missing one last thing; the coffee. He poured her a mug and he opened the cupboard and he reached to the far back and he grabbed the secret thing he always put in it. He lightly poured it in then he added some cream and he made a heart out of it.

Steve smiled, rather proud with himself; that was his first time doing that. He put the mug on the tray and he grabbed the edges and he slowly walked toward the bedroom. He looked at the clock and it read 7:39 am. Right on time.

Steve slowly pushed the cracked door open and he looked at the bed. The sun was gazing through the window and it gave the room a golden glow and Natasha was sleeping on her side of the bed. He had to admit she looked beautiful when she was asleep. Her hair was resting softly on the pillow.

Steve looked at the alarm clock and the time went to seven forty. Steve blinked and he smiled, taking his gaze from the slightly desire and put on his kind, loving face. Natasha stirred slightly and her eyes opened and she turned her head and she saw Steve holding a tray of food and his eyes were kind and he was smiling. Steve walked over and placed the tray on the large nightstand that Natasha had basically claimed as hers.

She sat up and she was wearing her black night gown. Steve sat next to her and she smiled at him. Steve put his hand on her thigh, which was still under the blanket. Steve had to not stare at her, everything she wore always caught his attention, even if it was a simple night gown. She always looked stunning.

"Breakfast in bed, you sure know how to treat a girl Steve" Natasha said while starting to eat her hash browns.

"We have one more week, till we have to go back to the tower" Steve said

"Well, it is Thanksgiving, and they would all be eating TV dinners if you didn't offer to cook"

"They really need to learn how to cook" Steve said smiling.

"I can't cook" Natasha said finishing her hash browns and starting in her eggs dipping the bread into the yoke.

"I can teach you" Steve said kissing her arm

"You don't want to teach me" Natasha said

"Why not?" Steve asked

"Well maybe, I just don't want to" Natasha said and she was down to her coffee; which she took and smelled and she hummed softly and she started to drink it.

"If, you don't want to cook, fine by me" Steve said

Natasha finished her coffee and put it back on the tray. Steve put the tray away from the bed and sat next to Natasha. Natasha rested against him and her hand lightly passed over his chest where he had been shot. There was no scar, but she knew that it was still there. Steve kissed her lightly and she slid her hand down his chest. Steve's eyes delighted when her hand went into his boxers.

Natasha smirked and she held him in her hand and she lightly stroked it. Steve grabbed her and he pulled her on top of him. Natasha took her hand away and she rested it on his shoulder. They kissed passionately and she could feel him against her. Steve had his hands on her back and one grabbed her ass. Natasha moaned slightly from his touch and she grabbed her gown and pulled it off.

Her breast came out and Steve instantly sat up and he put his mouth around one of them and he massaged the other with his hand while using his left hand to keep her from falling back. Natasha moved her hand through his hair and she moaned. Steve licked her nipple and it made her shiver. She could feel his cock in his boxers and she was lightly moving up and down on it. Natasha pushed Steve down onto his back and her hands were on his shoulders and she kissed him and then moved to his neck.

She pulled Steve's white shirt off and she kissed down his chest and moved to his abs. She took off his boxer and she took him in her hand and she stroked it. Steve groaned, Natasha smiled and she put her lips on the tip and kissed it. She lightly moved her tongue around the tip. Steve moaned and she put it in her mouth and he could feel the back of her throat. Natasha came off of it and she inhaled and she crawled back up and she slowly slid herself onto his cock.

Her mouth fell open and she looked into Steve's eyes as she took him in deeper and deeper. Steve moaned and he had his hands on her hips. Natasha slowly moved her hips and Steve grabbed one of her breasts and lightly squeezed it. Natasha moaned as she felt him move in and out of her. Steve started to move with her and they were in rhythm. She felt him go deeper with every thrust.

Natasha felt the warm wave travel from her stomach and to her clit. She dug her nails into Steve's shoulders as she came. She moaned his name and she fell to his chest. Steve held her and he increased his speed; which made her moan lustfully and loudly. Steve was saying her name and he came in her. Natasha looked into his blue eyes and he looked into her emerald ones and they both stayed in the ecstasy and Natasha was on his chest and she was breathing heavily. Their foreheads rested against each other and they kissed. Natasha closed her eyes and she listened to his heart beat.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Location: S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, San Francisco**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky was sitting in a conference room. The table had seventeen chairs, he sat in the one farthest from the door. He didn't know why, he just had a funny feeling. His metal hand was resting on the table. He couldn't tell if the table was cold or room temperature. He was still getting used to it even though he had it seventy years. He was twenty-nine and he had been Hydra's "secret" weapon for seventy years. He shaped the century apparently. He was used as a tool of war, and now he was just traded to another organization and to be used as another tool of war.

Bucky was trained to be a soldier, to execute orders without questions. He took pride in it, but now he was just a broken soldier in a time that he didn't belong in. He also was working with a partner, which he wasn't used to. The only team he had been on was back in the forties, and now they are all dead. Well except for his best friend. Bucky used to understand what he was doing. Before this, he was fighting for his country. Now what was he fighting for? Bucky had no clue. He was just now on a train and he was still deciding what stop to get off at.

He didn't talk much, and when he did it was only simple sentences. The other agents probably thought he was just some dumb grunt. Bucky just didn't have anything to say. He sat patiently waiting for the meeting to commence. Bucky had become lost in his thoughts and he was staring into the table and he noticed the door open. His eyes darted to it and he watched as Fury walked in. The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, his tall figure and his trimmed facial hair. Then his eye patch, not many people could pull off an eye patch.

Bucky watched as Fury walked over to the large screen on the wall and he stood in front of it. He pressed a few buttons and the screen came to life. Schematics of a compound came on and were flashing different areas. By the way the compound's buildings looked, he would have to guess that is was somewhere people spoke Spanish, or at least a dialect of it; Spain, Italy, or Mexico. He waited and listened for the correct answer.

Bucky saw his partner enter the room, she was wearing a navy blue cat suit. Her brown hair was up in a bun. Bucky had to admit, that if he was his normal ladies' man self, he would probably try and hit on her. Yet, he wasn't that person anymore, he didn't know what he was. He watched as she took a seat; two chairs away from him. If Bucky studied her actions, they would implicate that she didn't like him. He couldn't blame her either. Bucky noticed that Fury put a I-pad in the table he looked at it. Bucky could only read two lines.

_Fury- Are you sure about this?_

_Agent19- It's the only way to find out._

Bucky dismissed it, for it seemed to be irrelevant to the mission at hand, but he kept a mental note on it.

Fury noticed the two very uncomfortable agents in the chairs, he just didn't care. He turned to them and he looked at them.

"This compound is owned by a Drug Lord named Zeak. You are to infiltrate and record and document, not kill and clean house. Zeak is a small fish in a very large ocean. We want the people he is in league with. They are called the Shadow Games. We don't know what they are, it is up to you to find out. Any questions?"

Bucky say the schematics change into a 3D- model of the compound.

"What should we expect for resistance?" Bucky asked

"You are not to touch, a single guard" Fury said

"Clearly, I just want to know what kind of guys we're going up against" Bucky said slightly leaning forward

"Hired help and locals" Fury said

"Ok, dumb guards, thank you" Bucky said sitting back in his chair

Fury sighed and he grabbed the I-pad and he started to walk away.

"You leave tonight" he said before he exited the room

Fury left him and Hill alone in the room and Bucky turned his attention to his partner and she stood up and walked away. Bucky put his hands together and he felt his cold lifeless metal fingers and he closed his eyes.

Bucky left the room and he walked past the doors and as he turned to his right a hand grabbed him by the arm. It was his partner and she pulled him aside and she looked rather angry.

"You listen and you listen close. If you so as much as poke a guard, I will put two in your head"

"Understood" Bucky said calmly, clearly not intimidated.

"You are under new rules, and you'd better follow them to the letter" Hill said and she walked away leaving Bucky behind.

Bucky watched as she walked away and he slightly raised his eye brows and he turned and went the other way. "_What a great way to start the partnership Barnes" _Bucky said to himself. He walked down another hallway and he went to the hangar. Bucky honestly didn't know what to do with himself. He wandered the hallways and he would pass someone on occasion and they would keep their eyes to the floor. Either he looked weird or they were all terrified of him.

Bucky never was the outcast, he was mostly in the middle of everything. This must have been how Steve felt his entire life, being the outcast. Bucky wished he could talk to him. He knew that he couldn't though, not to mention his girlfriend would kill him if he got close. Bucky knew it was better to stay away, for now. Bucky decided to stop his wander about and he made his way to the hangar. He was still learning the layout of the helicarrier and he would sometimes end up on the complete other side of the ship than he wanted.

Bucky would ask for directions, but whenever he got close to someone they would look away from him or they would avoid him completely and walk in a different direction. They made it pretty easy to see how they viewed him. Maybe that was how Steve felt when everyone looked down at him. Bucky passed an open door and he saw a kid with red and blue on and two big white eyes. Bucky almost felt like walking away from him.

He stopped himself and he walked into the room. The kid was reading something and he didn't seem to notice him entering. Bucky saw a chair next to him and he decided that maybe he could scare him. Bucky walked to the chair silently and he sat down. The kid was reading a comic. He didn't seem to notice that Bucky was there; he was too absorbed in his comic. Bucky decided to break the silence.

"Do you live here?" Bucky asked

The kid almost flew out of his chair as he spoke and the comic flew out of his hands and landed on the floor. The kid looked over at him. Bucky was already looking at him and he was smirking.

"Hey" Bucky said

The kid stared blankly at him and slowly put up a hand and waved slowly "Hi" Peter said

"You read comics?" Bucky said looking at the comic book on the floor.

"Only when I'm bored" Peter said slowly almost cautious as if he was waiting for a fist to the face.

"Don't worry kid, I'm a good guy now" Bucky said and the words felt weird coming out of his mouth.

"Yeah, and when had that ever stopped an assassin from killing someone?" Peter said picked up his comic and finding the page he was last on.

"By the way, where's the hangar?" Bucky asked as he looked around the room awkwardly

"Take a left and two rights, then there will be a huge door with the words hangar on it" Peter said while reading

Bucky nodded and he stood up and he patted Peter's shoulder and he felt the kid's heart beating a mile a minute. Bucky left the room and he went to the left. He took two rights and there it was, just like what the kid said a huge door with the words hangar on it. Bucky walked in and he found a Quinjet and he went into the back and he sat down in the seats. He exhaled tiredly and he put his head back against the hull and he closed his eyes. He listened to the sounds of people running around, the sound of engines coming to life and then dying. He was reminded of a memory that came to him often. The car was still running and the doors were locked. The man inside was hitting the window with his fist and the car was on fire. The fire slowly moved up the car as it ignited the gasoline that was poured over the car.

The fired moved up the wheels and melted the rubber and it continued to the hood and the fire shot up to the edge of the windshield. The fire was now completely around the car stopping at the windows. The man inside punched the window and it cracked. Then the fire connected with a small drop of gasoline of the windshield and it shot forward and leaped onto the roof of the car. Fire engulfed the car and smoke covered the windshield and the man disappeared. Bucky was standing there and he was holding a lighter and he flipped the cap back up and then his eyes opened and he was back in the Quinjet.

Bucky was sweating slightly and he rubbed his eyes, which stung. Bucky could smell the gasoline and the burnt rubber. Bucky looked around and no one was present, except for the people walking around in the hangar going from ship to ship. Bucky felt his eyes begin to fill with water and he was breathing heavily. Bucky put his hand to his face and covered himself away as his face contorted and he broke down. Bucky lightly sobbed silently and he felt the tears fall down his face and stop at his chin and drop down to his thigh. Bucky took a deep breath and he wiped his eyes and he closed them and he gathered himself and he went back to being his no emotion trained self.

Bucky sat quietly and he tried not to think about anything and slip off into silence and zone out.

_**Steve**_

Steve opened his eyes and he was facing Natasha in bed. She was still asleep and her hand was in his. Steve breathed softly so the air wouldn't hit her face with enough force to wake her. He laid there with his head against the pillow and he kept his eyes on her. She was so beautiful, her short wavy hair was slightly in her face and Steve moved it out of the way softly and slowly. Steve couldn't help but smile and he felt bliss and not a care in the world. All that mattered was who he was with.

Steve saw her slightly stir and he froze his movements afraid that he woke her. Steve watched as she started to frown. Steve looked at her closely. Her hand in his began to move and she gripped tightly. It didn't hurt him, but anyone else it would have. Her lip was trembling and her breathing became sharp and heavy as if she was running. Steve knew she was having a nightmare. He put his arm on her shoulder and she breathed faster.

"Natasha, its ok. It's just a dream" Steve said

Natasha began to shake violently as if she was fighting something. Tears were coming out of her closed eyes. Steve moved and he pulled her close and he could feel her heart beating a mile a minute and her breath was becoming sharper.

"Natasha, wake up" Steve said softly as he held her in his arms and she stopped shaking and her hand loosened its grip; only a little. Her sharp breathing became whimpering and her face was buried in Steve's shoulder.

"Steve is that you?" Natasha asked while her voice was starting to break

"Yeah, I'm here, I'm here" Steve said softly as his hand rubbed her head.

Natasha started shake again, but this time she was crying. Steve felt her tears falling onto his shoulder and traveling down his chest and to his stomach. Steve held her as she cried and she sobbed loudly and she almost seemed to be slightly screaming to help get the feelings out. Steve held her closer and her grip increased ad Steve kissed her on the head as she cried into his shoulder.

Steve held her and her sobbing became less and he heard her sniff.

"I could see them, all of them. I could hear them… their screams." Natasha said in-between sobs. "It was dark and the fire was warm and I could see them all… burning" Natasha said

"Its ok, I'm here. Nothing is going to happen." Steve said trying to think of the right thing to say, but he couldn't.

"Just hold me" Natasha said her voice muffled from his shoulder

"Ok, I'm here and I won't ever let you go" Steve said softly as he held her in his arms and she was coiled up and she was against him. 


	3. Chapter 3

_**Location: Florence, Italy**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky knew that it had to be somewhere they spoke a dialect of Spanish. Bucky was sitting in the Quinjet as it was flying through the clouds and heading toward the outskirts of Florence where the compound was. Bucky was holding a simple assault rifle and he didn't have a mag in it. He was busy checking it and making sure it was good to fire. He glanced over and Hill was holding a submachine gun in her hand.

Bucky took his eyes off of her before she noticed him looking. Bucky saw that his rifle was fine and he quickly grabbed the mag and put it in and he cocked the rifle. He rested it on his knee and the barrel was pointed at the ground. Bucky saw Hill glance at him and he simply dismissed it. Bucky turned his head toward the ramp.

"Thirty seconds to drop" the pilot said

Bucky stood up and he put his mask and dark glasses on that Steve ripped off in the street almost a year ago. Bucky closed his eyes and he pushed all thought from his mind and focused on the objective; record and document. Bucky could tell Hill was standing close behind him.

"Ten seconds"

Bucky watched as the ramp dropped down and he could see trees passing under them and they went over a hill and then he saw a compound, it was rather large. Bucky noticed it was a small village. Bucky looked back at Hill.

"Fury said nothing about a village"

"Fury doesn't tell you a lot of things" Hill said

"I thought you worked in Stark Industries" Bucky said

"I do, this is a side job" Hill said

Bucky saw the light turn red then it turned green. Bucky took a step forward and he jumped out of the Quinjet. He fell through the air and he landed on a hill and he rolled as he hit the ground and he slid down the hill and went behind a huge rock. Bucky peered around the rock and he could see the main entrance of the "compound". He also saw a gate, Bucky nodded his head _great._

Bucky saw Hill come up behind him, she knelt down and she was close to him.

"I usually like more recon with my intel" Bucky said

"Just get moving" Hill said

"Yes, ma'am" Bucky said and he moved quickly and he saw a spot light. Bucky moved his hand down and made it flat and Hill quickly went to the ground and hid behind a rock and Bucky stood behind a tree.

Bucky thought back to what he said, he pulled a Steve. He blinked and he pushed the thought away, not the right time to think about other things. Bucky noticed that the spot light moved away.

"Split up, we can cover more ground that way" Bucky said

Hill nodded and went into the darkness and disappeared. Bucky looked back up at the gate and he noticed three guards and two snipers. Bucky smiled _this is going to be easy. _

Bucky knelt down and he let the spot light pass one more time and after it passed him, he took off and ran across the terrain and got closer to the gate. The light was coming back around and he dove onto the ground and rolled behind a group of large rocks. Bucky laid flat and he steadied his breathing. He watched as the beam of light passed over him and then went back. Bucky quickly got up and continued to run toward the gate.

Bucky got to a stack of wooden crates and he knelt down and he watched as a guard walked past him. Bucky looked up at the wall and the sniper was looking away. Bucky took the risk and while the guard's back was turned he stayed crouched and he snuck up to the wall. Bucky quickly walked along it and he disappeared around a corner then the guard turned around. Bucky hugged the wall and he had very little foot hold. It was a steep drop if he miss stepped. Bucky decided it was a good time to check in on Hill.

"Hill?" Bucky said into his communicator

"Yeah?" her voice came through

"Where are you?"

"In the village"

"Ok good, I just made it to the wall, I'll meet you at the target building" Bucky said putting his gun's strap over his shoulder and swung it around so the gun hung on his lower back.

"Copy" Hill said

Bucky looked up at the wall and he didn't see any hand holds. Bucky hopped this didn't make too much noise. He put his metal finger into the stone wall and he pulled himself up. Bucky used his strength and he pulled himself up into the air and he stuck his hand in the wall again. Bucky put his right foot where his hand used to be. Bucky grunted and he did it again. He got close to the top and he lunged up one more time and he grabbed the edge with his hands. He grunted as he pulled himself up and over.

Bucky planted his feet down on the walk way and he knelt down. He looked around and he didn't see a guard in sight. He went to the other side of the wall's edge where the buildings were. He looked and he was close enough to jump to a roof top. Bucky climbed over the edge and he perched himself and he slightly turned and he put his hand out and he jumped off backwards and he caught the edge of a roof.

Bucky pulled himself up trying not to make the roofing come off. Bucky slowly stood up and he slowly made his way up the side of the roof. He almost slipped a couple of times. He could see the street lamps were on and he would see the occasional patrol walking through the street. Bucky lucked out of the roof top. He saw the target building and he was four roofs away from it. Bucky had to jump across the roof tops and fast; or this wasn't going to work. Bucky took a deep breath and he ran and he jumped across the gap and landed on the other roof and he kept moving. One down, three to go.

Bucky made his way to every roof top and he was close to the target building and he saw a window sill. Bucky umped to it and grabbed the sill and he pulled the window open and he climbed in. Bucky was in a lounge and no one was in sight. He stayed in a crouched position and he went toward the door to the right which led to another hallway. He walked through it and a gun was pointed against his head. He looked and it was Hill, who seemed startled.

"God, Barnes" She hissed

"Sorry" Bucky said

"I know where Zeak is" Hill said

Bucky looked at her and she spoke "He's in the study"

Bucky nodded and he went toward the door that led to the study's upper floor. Good thing he studied the layout of the building. He came to the door and he cracked it and he peeked; no guards were up here. Bucky opened the door slowly and he stayed knelt down and he walked over to the railing that was the perfect hiding place. Bucky and Hill heard Zeak answer a phone.

"What do you want?" Zeak asked seeming ill-tempered

Bucky noticed his accent was Russian. Bucky frowned at it and he looked at Hill and she shrugged. Bucky listened and it was quiet for a while.

"Yes, everything is under control" Zeak said

Bucky waited for Zeak to speak again.

"Yes, I have done what you asked" Zeak said sounding slightly worried

Bucky noticed fear in his voice.

"You said this was the last time, we had an agreement. I am tired of you using my men as your play things"

Bucky had a feeling the conversation was getting heated.

"Why is this so important?" Zeak asked

Hill was recording the whole conversation.

"Yes, I understand. You're paying me double for this" Zeak said

Bucky wanted to know who was on the other line of that phone.

"You can guaranty that they will be safe?" Zeak said this time softer

"Good, this is the last time, no more favors after this. Yeah agreed, wait one question. Why is she so important?" Zeak asked

Bucky frowned and mouthed "She" to Hill and Hill shrugged.

"What do you mean, I have people in my compound? Two agents, from what agency?"

Bucky looked at Hill and he spoke in a whisper "Time to go"

Hill nodded and as Bucky took a step two guards busted through the door they came in at. Bucky and Hill looked at them, they aimed and Bucky grabbed Hill and he took her with him over the railing and falling onto a table in the study below.

They hit the table and Hill was on top of Bucky and her face was close to his and they looked to see Zeak pointing a pistol at them. Bucky rolled to the left and brought Hill with him and they hit the floor and Bucky sprung up and he grabbed Zeak by the hand and he twisted it breaking his wrist. Zeak howled in pain and dropped the gun. Bucky looked back at Hill.

"Run"

Hill took off for the exit and Bucky followed and he followed her out of the door and he noticed she wasn't moving. Then he saw why; fifty guards were all pointing their guns at them. Bucky stopped and stood next to her, he noticed that these guards were decked out in gear and weapons, they weren't local.

"See, recon with intel" Bucky said

Hill just looked at him and rolled her eyes knowing he was right. Bucky noticed Zeak walking through the door behind them and Bucky saw him walk in front of them. He was holding his broken wrist close to himself and he had a pistol in the other. He pointed it at the more intimidating one. Bucky stared at the barrel of the gun and he thought of five ways to kill him before the other's fired.

"What are you doing here?" Zeak asked

"Just passing through" Bucky said smirking

Hill glanced at him "I don't think this is a time to joke around Barnes" Hill said through gritted teeth

"I know what I'm doing" Bucky whispered to her

"What did you hear?" Zeak asked a ping of worry was in his voice, Bucky noticed it.

"Everything" Bucky said and he smirked

"I though this place was secure" Zeak said to his men

"Nothing is secure from me" Bucky said "Not even your phone"

Zeak looked at him with panic.

"You have a family right?" Bucky said

Zeak's eyes were wide and a drop of sweat flowed down the side of his face and to his neck. Bucky was saying the right words.

"Let me guess the man on the phone is threatening their death" Bucky said

"If you are trying to…"

"I don't give a damn about your family Zeak. All I care about is the man on the phone"

"He said he would kill them"

"Hey Zeak" Bucky said getting him back on track "I don't care"

Zeak swallowed and he was breathing a little faster.

"Give me the name of the man on the phone" Bucky said

"Then my family will die" Zeak choked

"Maybe, maybe not. Do you really think that after your job is done that the guy won't kill you and your family? Zeak after you're done, you're a loose end" Bucky said taking a step forward.

Hill couldn't believe what she was hearing. He literally was talking the guy into giving them the name.

"Zeak, give me the name" Bucky said with more authority this time

Zeak slightly jumped and he looked around at his men and he put his hand up and they put their guns down.

"His name is The Spider, I swear that is all I know" Zeak said

"He got a real name?" Bucky said; he didn't want an alias, he wanted a name.

"All I know is that he is called the Spider" Zeak said

Bucky noticed that he slightly scorned at him in half a second. Bucky knew he was lying. Bucky took a step forward and now he was face to face with him. Bucky stared at him.

"His name" Bucky said

Zeak wouldn't look him in the eye.

"His name Zeak!" Bucky barked which caused a few men to raise their guns.

Bucky wasn't going to get anything off of him this way. Bucky looked back at Hill and then at the men.

"Get out now or I will kill you all" Bucky said staring at each and every one of them.

The soldiers saw something in his eyes that scared them and they all left quickly and left Zeak who was about to have a heart attack. Bucky slightly twitched toward Zeak and he jumped away and he fell to the ground. Bucky walked forward and Zeak tried to crawl away. Bucky grabbed him by the shirt and held him in the air.

"His name Zeak!" Bucky said

Zeak felt Bucky's cold metal fingers on his throat.

"I can't" he choked

"A little more pressure and I can crush your larynx" Bucky said

Zeak looked over at Hill. Hill was frozen and she didn't want to move. Bucky was going too far and she knew it, but they needed that name. She stayed quiet, she would talk to him back in the Quinjet.

Bucky dropped Zeak and Zeak landed on the ground and he tried to crawl away. Bucky wasn't in a hurry and he slowly walked toward him. Bucky grabbed Zeak's ankle and he twisted it and Hill heard a loud snap.

Zeak howled in pain and he turned around and looked at Bucky, who looked like he was something else. His ankle was completely backwards.

"I want a name Zeak!" Bucky said and spit flew out of his mouth.

"I can't ah!" Zeak screamed as Bucky broke his foot with his metal hand crushing every bone

"The name!" Bucky said dropping his foot and letting it hit the floor hard which sent a sharp pain up Zeak's leg which made him gasp

Bucky grabbed Zeak's good hand and he slightly twisted it.

"The name, or this one breaks to" Bucky barked

Zeak was silent for too long and Bucky twisted a little more, Zeak's face contorted into pain

"NIKO!" Zeak yelled

Bucky never heard of a Niko. He got what he wanted though.

"If, you're lying I'll be back to break it" Bucky said walking back towards Hill.

He left Zeak cowering in a corner and he had tears going down his face. He sat up and then a bullet hit him in the face. Blood splattered the wall and brains were thrown onto the floor. Bucky looked around for the sniper. A loud beep hit their ears as a voice came onto their ear pieces.

"So, you know my name" the voice was low and Russian

"You can't run Niko" Bucky said

"I'm not and it's good that your know my name, cause I know all about you Barnes"

Bucky's eyes slightly widened and he looked at Hill with his brow furrowed

"How do you know me?"

"I know everything, hello Maria Hill" the man said

"How did you get on this channel?" Hill asked

"Oh Hill, how I will enjoy torturing you, and to answer your question I can talk to anyone I want to. Poor Zeak and his family, all well. I did kill his family a week ago, now he can be with them."

"What do you want Niko?" Bucky asked

"What I want, is your head on a platter and anyone who knows you. I'm sorry Miss Hill that he involved you in this. I wish we could have met in a more consensual matter."

"Zeak said she, why is she important?" Bucky asked

"Oh, she is an old friend, she must suffer more a different reason than you, and oh how I can't wait to touch that face. Anyway, see you soon Barnes" the man said and he disconnected.

Bucky looked back at Hill and he gritted his teeth _What the hell is going on?_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Location: Quinjet ETA: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky understood what he did wrong. He basically tortured a man for information. Then he was killed and he was the only lead. Bucky was sitting and Hill walked over to him.

"You broke a rule Barnes"

"Look, sorry. I got a little carried away" Bucky said averting his eyes to the floor.

"We can't afford getting carried away. The mission was a failure Barnes"

"Failure, how?"

"First of all, we lost a lead"

Bucky shook his head and he stood up and he was about a head taller than her. "We got a name"

"Did you get a last name?" Hill said getting in his face

Bucky sighed and his eyes went from her to the floor. "No I didn't"

"You're Goddamn right you didn't" Hill said turning her back on him.

"We were blown before that happened, what did you want me to do, play nice?" Bucky said taking a step towards her

Hill turned back toward him and she looked pissed, but Bucky didn't care. He'd dealt with pissed people before.

"To get good information out of him, yes. We could have gotten him talking. You didn't need to break his foot" Hill snapped

Bucky's nostrils flared and he exhaled. He wasn't going to back down from this fight.

"Have you ever been in that situation before? Because by the way you were standing, frozen. It would clearly state that you haven't" Bucky said

"You need to learn Barnes! You can't just go torturing someone for information!" Hill yelled

"Hey it worked out pretty well" Bucky said putting his arms out horizontally

"That's not the point, we weren't even supposed to be seen"

"Yeah, well that plan was jettisoned out the fucking door when armed guards caught us!" Bucky said putting his hands into fists.

"Things go sideways, what do you expect?" Hill said crossing her arms

"I expected more intel, especially from S.H.I.E.L.D. You know I thought you guys were good" Bucky said waving his hand

"If you didn't notice, we are working on a very limited source code" Hill said turning away from Bucky. Her first mistake.

Bucky walked forward and he grabbed her arm and held it in his real hand.

"We are not done, what the fuck happened tonight?"

"It's all pretty self-explanatory"

"That what? We get a strange call from a guy named Niko and he just so happened to know everything"

"He seemed to know you the most" Hill said looking at his hand which was still gripping her arm

"Hence why I'm upset"

"Barnes, you are supposed to be this ice cold killer, and now your crying like little girl. I guess the reports were greatly exaggerated about you"

"Do you know what it feels like to be not in control of your life?!" Bucky snapped at her.

Hill was silent and she looked down at the ground. Bucky felt his temper rising and he put his other hand on her other arm and he shook her.

"Do you know what it's like to be a broken soul huh? Look at you, you say all these things about rules and protocol. I was not given a choice for being this" Bucky said in disgust as he looked at his metal arm.

Hill gasped in pain "Barnes calm down"

"I was taken and experimented on and turned into a cold hearted monster and I killed and killed! I wasn't given a say in it. I was with the KGB and Red Room, do you even know of the horrors of what went down at that place?!" Bucky screamed and he let go of her and he turned away from her and he smacked the hull with his metal hand and dented it.

He was breathing heavily and he leaned against the hull and he looked at Hill, who was standing quietly looking at him.

"I was taken from everything I knew! I was turned into a weapon and I was used to kill anything. I have taken so many lives" Bucky said as his voice became quiet

Hill looked at him and she saw in his eyes pain, and guilt.

Bucky slid down the hull and sat on the floor. "I killed Howard Stark" Bucky said loud enough for her to hear. "I killed Kennedy, I have killed so many more, those are the only two I can remember and I see their faces every time I close my eyes" Bucky said and he put his head back against the hull. "I should be killed for what I have done, but no. I'm here helping you and I am broken. I don't know what I am anymore. I used to be James Barnes, now I'm just some vile thing with a bloody past and this" Bucky said putting his metal hand up

Hill had no words to comfort him, or any to reassure him of anything. She stayed silent and she walked toward the cock pit and she put her hand on the pilot's shoulder.

"None of this leaves this jet" she whispered

The pilot nodded and he continued flying. Hill looked back at Bucky and he was staring off into space. Hill wondered if this was what Steve felt like when he woke up.

_**Steve**_

Steve was in the kitchen and he was getting a glass of milk. He poured it and put the milk away. He leaned against the counter with his lower back and drank the milk. He kept glancing at the hallway expecting Natasha to come out. She had been quiet lately, well more than usual. She would look away from him when he entered the room or looked at her.

Steve kept sipping at his glass of milk and then he realized with his latest sip that the milk was gone. He looked at the cup and rinsed the remaining milk out and he put the glass on the counter. He exhaled and he looked over at the hallway again. He didn't see anyone, he lowered his eyes to the island in front of him.

Steve couldn't help but feel that she was avoiding him because of something he did. Sure they were both in the same apartment, but she would just shut herself away and not come out. Steve felt it was best to leave her alone. Yet he didn't know if she wanted to be alone. He looked over at the TV and he looked back at the hallway. He needed to go talk to her. Steve stood to his full height and he walked toward the hallway.

He walked past a mirror in the hallway and he noticed that he had stubble on his face. Steve rubbed his face and felt the prickly small hairs. He sighed and he continued to the room. Steve hesitated before opening the door. He swallowed and he put his hand on the knob and he turned it. Steve opened the door slowly and he walked in. Natasha was lying on her side of the bed and she was facing away from the door. She usually never did that.

Steve took a step forward and he heard a sniff. She was still crying, or she was just done. Steve made no effort to be in a rush to get to the bed. He walked as slowly as possible and he reached the end of the bed. Steve climbed onto it and he laid down on his side of the bed on his back looking up at the ceiling. Steve noticed that Natasha didn't acknowledge that he was there. Steve looked at her and he scooted closer to her and he put his hand on her arm. There was no reaction and Steve almost took his hand away when her hand took his and she gripped it tightly.

Steve relaxed and he laid behind her and he put his other hand around her. Natasha switched hands and grabbed the other and she pulled his hand close and she lightly kissed it and kept it against her chest. Steve put his head down against the pillow and he stared at the back of her head at her red wavy hair. Steve decided to get a little closer and he scooted again and his chest was against her back and his knees were behind hers. He was technically spooning her, but he saw it more as a comfort snuggle.

Steve inhaled slightly and he could smell her faint scent and he closed his eyes. He felt his heart beat slow and become relaxed. He could feel her heart beat since she was holding his right hand close to her chest. Steve didn't know how long they laid there like that. It could have been a few hours or a few minutes. Steve saw her shift slightly and she turned around and looked at him. She was still holding his hand and her eyes were red from the crying. Steve put his hand on her face lightly and he looked into her eyes. She stared right back at him and didn't say a word. Steve and Natasha's forehead touched and their noses were close. Natasha kept her gaze on his eyes.

She liked his blue eyes and their welcoming look and peaceful sensation. She stared at the deep pools and she slightly tilted her head. Steve kissed her cheek lightly. Natasha gripped his hand tighter. Steve smiled and Natasha feeling the way she did, she couldn't help but smile back and a tear fell down her face. She wiped it away and she inhaled.

"You ok?" Steve asked softly

"Yeah, just… just need a little time" Natasha said

"Well I'll stay with you till you feel better. I'm not moving unless you move" Steve said

The comment made Natasha smirk and lightly chuckled.

"What?" Steve asked confused

"Nothing" Natasha said smiling and she rested her head against him.

Steve snuck his left arm under her and he wrapped it around her waist. He held her close and she closed her eyes and she listened to his heart beat till she drifted into the endless pool of sleep. 

Natasha opened her eyes slowly. The room had a golden glow and her eyes had to adjust. She could feel Steve's arms around her. Natasha looked at Steve and he was still sleeping. He was lightly snoring. Natasha lifted her head so she could see over him to the see the alarm clock. It was a struggle, but she managed. The clock said 7:40 am. She slightly raised her eye brows, even when she felt awful she still woke up at the same time.

Natasha looked back at Steve and he stirred slightly and his eyes opened. His pupils adjusted to the light and he could see a very beautiful women with red hair, emerald eyes, and smooth ivory skin. He smiled at her.

"Good morning" Steve said

Natasha lightly smiled and she went back to laying against him and she kissed his cheek. Steve felt a wave of warmth come from his cheek and he smiled.

"Morning" Natasha whispered

Steve rolled over and he brought Natasha with him and she was now on top of him. Natasha laid on his chest. She could feel his heart beating and she liked the sound of it.

"We need to get up" Steve said

"And why is that?" Natasha asked kissing his neck

"We have been inside for days now, we need some fresh air" Steve said

"I like inside" Natasha said

"I do to, but I want to take you out" Steve said

"Out where?" Natasha asked "There are still a few places closed"

"The park isn't closed" Steve said

"Walking in the park?"

"Come on, it'll be good for you" Steve said lightly smacking his hand against her upper thigh which was around his waist.

Natasha thought about it and she looked at him "Fine, I'll go take a shower" Natasha said not wanting to get off of him.

"It'll be fun, and you need some fun right now" Steve said

Natasha knew that he was right, he was usually always right. She nodded and she got off of him and got out of the bed. Steve watched as she opened the bathroom door and turned on the shower. Steve followed her and he turned on the sink and began brushing his teeth.

The warm water was sending steam into the air and the mirror was being blurred and Steve couldn't see himself anymore. He rinsed his brush and he rinsed his mouth with a small amount of water and he spit into the sink. He looked over at the shower and he could see Natasha's blurred form rinsing her hair. Steve couldn't help himself and he slowly walked to the door of the shower and he put his hand on it and he pulled it open. The steam came out and was refreshing to his face but cold to his skin. Steve quickly took off his boxers and he stepped in.

He was behind her and he out his arms around her and he rested his chin on her shoulder. Natasha hummed and she put her hand on his left forearm and she could feel the defined muscles. Steve closed his eyes and he lightly hummed a song. It was back from the forties, which he heard in Germany. He hummed the words in German. He lightly swayed behind her. Natasha closed her eyes and she listened to the soft humming of his voice. The warm water washed over their naked bodies and they stayed in a slowly steady sway and Steve continued humming. Natasha smiled and she lightly started to hum the words.

Steve stopped slightly when he heard Natasha hum the same song, except in English. He didn't know she could speak translate German. Steve threw the thought out of his mind and he continued to hum and their voices complemented each other's. Steve turned her around and he put his hand on her cheek and he lightly rubbed her ear with his fingers and he leaned forward. Natasha responded by going on her tip toes and they lightly kissed. She looked at the deep blue pools and she smiled.

Steve had his left arm around her waist and he looked into the emerald eyes and they told so many things. He leaned again and they kissed again. Steve slightly opened his mouth and her tongue slipped in. Steve kissed her passionately and she could taste mint from his toothpaste. She had her arm on his shoulder and she slowly moved it across his back. Steve put both his hands on her hips and he moved his right hand up her back and he supported her back. Natasha had her right hand on his bicep and she felt nothing but bliss. The warm water was rushing over them and Steve took a step forward and Natasha's back went against the wall.

Natasha gasped as he kissed her neck and he put his hand on her ass. Natasha raised her left thigh and Steve held her leg by her calf. Natasha jumped up and put her legs around his waist. Steve kissed her collar bone and he looked into her eyes again. Steve positioned himself and he entered her. Natasha gasped in pleasure and she moaned. Steve let out a heavy breath as he felt her around him. He looked at her and he increased in his speed. Natasha held his head close to her chest as she moaned as he went in and out of her.

Steve kissed her breast and he lightly licked her nipple. Natasha gasped and she felt him go deeper. She moaned louder and she felt her mind going crazy. She felt her stomach becoming warm and her heart was hammering in her chest. Steve groaned as she arched her back. Natasha moaned and she felt him getting harder. Steve moaned as she kissed his neck and tugged his hair. Steve increased his speed and he felt a rush. Natasha felt the warm wave of pleasure flow toward her clit. She moaned loudly and she felt her climax take place.

Steve felt her velvety folds around him as she came and he announced his own climax and he came. He groaned as he came inside her, Natasha's mouth fell open as she felt the warmth and her climax was intensified. She slowly moved up and down and Steve lightly groaned and she kissed him. The water had become cold and she kissed him passionately and she could feel his heart beating in his chest with her hand on his upper chest.

_**Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Seven miles over Atlantic Ocean.**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky sat at the conference table and he had his back to the door and he would occasionally glance at Hill, four seats away from him. Bucky sighed lightly and he heard the door open and he saw what he expected. Fury came in furious and he threw a file down on the table.

"What the hell happened down there?" Fury asked

"We were made and Zeak was killed" Hill said

"Did one of you do it" Fury said looking over at Bucky.

Bucky met his gaze and he spoke "We actually did nothing, well except slightly torturing Zeak for information" Bucky said breaking eye contact on the last part.

"You what?" Fury snapped

"I broke his wrist, ankle, and foot" Bucky said frankly

"Did you get anything off of him?" Fury asked not expecting an answer

"A name, The Spider, or Niko" Bucky said crossing his arms

"I don't know any Niko" Fury said

"Neither had we" Hill said

"But he just so happened to know all about us" Bucky said standing up

"Barnes, sit" Fury said

Bucky slightly hesitated and he sat back down. He sighed and he looked over at Hill.

"It seems that he is someone from my past" Bucky said

"Then you know him" Fury said

"Apparently, but sadly I can't remember where I know him from. I still don't remember half of my time as Hydra's puppet" Bucky said

"Well, its quiet simple, find out who this Niko is"

"But, sir that could take weeks" Hill said

Fury began to walk out and he looked at her "That's your problem" Fury said and he left the room.

Hill scoffed at the door and Bucky looked at her. He hesitated and he leaned forward and put his hands on the table.

"Hey, thanks for not telling him about, my little… incident"

Hill turned her gaze to him and she spoke "No problem, let it happen again. I will" Hill said getting up and walking out of the room.

Bucky watched as she left and he sighed a relief and he looked at the clock: 8:45 am. He needed to sleep. Bucky put his feet up onto the table and he leaned the chair back and he closed his eyes forcing himself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Steve**_

Steve walked across the living room and he grabbed his apartment keys from the island in the kitchen. He tossed the keys slightly and he put them in his pocket. Steve had his wallet in his jacket. He looked back at the hallway and at his bedroom door. He paused slightly and he couldn't hear anything coming from the bedroom. Steve sighed slightly and he walked toward the hallway and he flipped on a light.

He put his hand on the knob and opened it. He looked inside and Natasha wasn't in the bed. Steve frowned and he looked around and he could see Natasha anywhere, and the bathroom was completely silent.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked softly

Steve was startled and he looked behind him. Natasha was standing there in a blue shirt and jeans. Steve's heart slowed down and he sighed in relief.

"You startled me" Steve said exhaling and putting his hand on his chest.

"Well, at least I can still sneak up on someone" Natasha said smirking

"Yeah" Steve said and he walked past her and he entered the kitchen again.

"So where are we going?" Natasha asked following him.

"Well, I thought that you may want to go somewhere. You choose" Steve said

"Rogers, I don't go out much" Natasha said frankly

"Yeah, I know but there has to be somewhere you want to go" Steve said walking up to her

"Um… I'm drawing a blank" Natasha said

"Come on Nat, you want to go shopping?" Steve asked

Steve noticed that she wasn't saying anything and she was just giving him an unreadable look.

Steve slightly chuckled "What?" he said

"I don't go shopping" Natasha said

"Really, not any kind of shopping?" Steve said crossing his arms in a playful manner

"No" Natasha said still giving him the unreadable look.

"Ok, um… let's go to the clothing store" Steve said forgetting the name of the store.

"Victoria Secret?" Natasha asked

"What, no"

"So you don't want me to get sexy lingerie that I can wear for you?" Natasha asked with a playful tone

"No, of course I want you to have sexy lingerie, just what do you want"

"Sexy lingerie" She said

"No, what do you want for you. You can't get anything that is technically for me"

"Rogers, I don't know" Natasha said shaking her head

"Come on, let me buy you something" Steve said

"You want to buy me something?"

"Isn't that what boyfriends do, or is it different now?" Steve asked suddenly serious

Natasha couldn't help but laugh at Steve's face.

"What?" Steve asked starting to get worried

"Yes, boyfriends still do that" Natasha said reassuring him

"Ok, good. I didn't want to get into some uncharted territory" Steve said relieved

"Not a little uncharted?" Natasha asked playfully as she put her hands around him.

Steve stood speechless, and he almost said something then stopped. "I didn't say anything about that kind of uncharted" Steve finally said putting his arms around her.

"Oh, so like this…"

"Ah, no. We are going shopping for something for you" Steve said seeing what she was trying to do.

"You're no fun, Rogers" Natasha whispered seductively

"There are a lot of things you still don't know about me Nat" Steve said looking at her with a hint of lust in his eyes

"I'd like to find out" Natasha said

"Yeah, but now we are going shopping" Steve said still persisting

"Ugh" Natasha exclaimed

"Natasha we can't spend all day inside having sex" Steve said

"Why not?" Natasha asked innocently

Steve was speechless again and he was slightly breaking under her gaze.

"It's fun, but can we please do something in the world. Out there, not in here where you and me have our time together. I want to make out there our time to." Steve said

Natasha slightly sighed and she saw that she wasn't going to win.

"Fine" Natasha said

_**Natasha**_

Steve wasn't kidding when he said that he would buy her something. They had been past three separate clothing stores and Natasha said no to every one of them. Steve seemed to becoming frustrated.

"I did not know shopping for a woman would be this hard" Steve said

"I usually don't like being caught up in it" Natasha said

"Wait, you want something besides clothes?" Steve asked hoping for a good answer

Natasha paused in her walk and looked at him as he stopped a second after her and turned to look at her.

"You mean jewelry don't you?" Natasha asked

"Or that" Steve said

Natasha stood and she slightly tapped her foot looking uncomfortable and she knew she wasn't going to win this argument about buying her something. She looked at him. "Ok, let's go look at jewelry" Natasha said continuing her walk

"OK" Steve said following her, he was excited. Not for the jewelry, just being able to buy her something.

Natasha noticed that Steve was walking with a lighter step and she could tell he was happy about something. She hid a smirk and she knew she wasn't going to find anything that she liked. Natasha never found anything that she liked. If it was at least going to make Steve happy to at least try, then she was ok with it.

Steve followed her into a jewelry store and Natasha paused as she looked at all the other girls looking at rings and necklaces and ear rings. She looked at their utter happy eyes as they smiled at a diamond. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the sight. Steve stood next to her.

"You know what you're looking for?" Steve said with a hint of unease in his voice.

"Not a damn clue" Natasha whispered to him

A woman in a black uniform, or more like a dress came over to them. She put on a big smile and Natasha could see jealousy in her eyes.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely

Natasha knew there was no sign of politeness in her eyes, but she smiled anyway and acted like any other girl.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could make any suggestions" Natasha said smiling

Steve noticed that it was a fake smile and he glanced at the women closely and he noticed that she was looking at Natasha funny. Whatever she had in them made Natasha put on a fake smile. He would keep to himself for now.

"What are you looking for, for a reference?" the woman asked

Natasha noticed her name tag: Natalie. She suddenly hated her a little more, but she kept the hate away and hid her emotions.

"Rings or necklaces" Natasha asked smiling

"Ok over here" Natalie said wand she walked toward a display case

Natasha followed and Steve was close behind.

Steve watched as Natasha and Natalie talked about certain jewels that he didn't know about. He could see there was no politeness in Natalie's eyes, Natasha had it, but he was pretty sure it was fake. Steve found himself looking at all the things they passed. He saw a big diamond ring and it looked beautiful. He looked over at Natasha and he looked at her left hand and pictured the ring on it. He frowned at it and he shook his head, _Not Natasha. _ He saw another one and he did the same thing. It was close, but still no. Natasha wasn't kidding when she said she had no idea what she was looking for.

Steve made a good guess that this is why she doesn't go shopping, there's nothing in here that matched her. Steve wanted to walk away and take Natasha with her and take her away from the uncomfortable situation that he had currently had her in. He waited till her and Natalie were done talking. As he saw Natalie roll her eyes as she looked away and he was sure Natasha saw it to. He glanced at another display case and he saw a necklace. It was silver with a red gem in it and the fine silver was wrapped around it in pristine gracefulness. Steve saw that is was the closest thing to Natasha in here.

Steve made himself a mental note. He followed her out of the store and Natasha let out a tired sigh. Steve stood close to her.

"Sorry for that" Steve said

Natasha was caught off guard by his sentence "What?"

"In the store, you didn't want to be in there and by the way you and that one girl Natalie were staring at each other. It looked like one of you were going to kill the other."

"So you remembered her name" Natasha said

Steve instantly saw her face and her anger. He said the wrong thing.

"You know, I can't forget a name" Steve said

"Yeah, I know" Natasha said, her face changing from anger to a look of contrite.

Steve walked up to her and he put his hands on her arms "Come on, let's go to your favorite diner. Get some lunch." Steve said smiling

"Now that I won't object to" Natasha said

_**Steve**_

They were sitting in the diner and they were next to the window. Steve was sitting silently and he was doing something and Natasha noticed. His hand was moving quickly as if he was shading something. She turned her head away from the window and she looked at him.

"What are you drawing?" Natasha asked

Steve looked up at her and he smiled and chuckled lightly "Just something that always keeps me on my toes"

Natasha smirked and she knew what he meant and she nodded her head. The waitress came over with their food. Steve thanked her and he grabbed a knife and cut his hamburger in half so it wasn't as messy to eat. Steve looked up at her and he noticed that she was just sitting there.

"Nat?" Steve asked

"Hmm"

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking" Natasha said trailing off

"Is this about the jewelry store?" Steve said making a good guess

"How could you tell?" Natasha said lightly smiling at him

"Look, its ok that you couldn't find anything. I looked around while you were talking and I couldn't see anything that was you" Steve said

"I just feel like I'm letting you down" Natasha said

"Nat, you can't let me down." Steve said putting his hand on hers

"But I can Rogers" Natasha said frankly

"Then we keep going, no one said this was going to be easy" Steve said looking at her kindly

"I just don't think I'm the right kind of girl for you" Natasha said

"That's crazy" Steve said

"Why is it crazy? You're a hero, I'm just a trained assassin with a horrible past"

"Natasha, look back at the past few years, can't you see all the good you have done?" Steve asked

"I don't know" Natasha said averting her eyes toward the table

"Well, I'll tell you something. You are an amazing woman, and you are smart, and brave, and kind. To me that's enough" Steve said

"What if one day someone from the past comes back to destroy everything?" Natasha asked

"Then we will get through it, it already happened once"

"Yeah, with you almost dying"

Steve exhaled and he looked at her and she lost herself in the deep blue pools.

"Natasha, I don't plan on going anywhere" Steve said

"But it's never in your plan to get shot" Natasha said

"I can't stop things from happening" Steve said

"Then don't promise to not get killed" Natasha said a little more harshly than she wanted to

Steve looked at her and he nodded and he took his hand away from hers.

"You're right, I shouldn't promise. I'll just hope I stick around" Steve said with a certain look in his eyes and he began to eat his burger.

Natasha noticed that his eyes looked different and he looked hurt. Natasha inhaled and she closed her eyes and she looked out of the window. She lost her appetite.

_**Natasha**_

They had left the diner and Steve ate her meal to and he tipped the waitress and Natasha was walking slightly behind him. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. She felt angry at herself, why couldn't she just stay calm whenever they talked. Whenever they got into a conversation, she always ruined it. Yet he always forgave her. Most men would have left by now, but Steve stuck around. Maybe that's what he meant by sticking around.

Maybe his promise wasn't about the fighting, or missions. Maybe it was about the other times, like the moment in the diner. He promised to stick around. Natasha guessed that was why he was hurt, because she didn't know what he meant. Natasha inhaled sharply and she rolled her eyes at herself. She needed to apologize to him.

They stopped at the entrance to the park and Steve stopped. He stood there silently and he looked up at Natasha. Natasha noticed his eyes were still the same as they were in the diner. Man she wished she knew what he was thinking. Steve walked up close to her and he smiled at her.

"Nat, I never meant about missions and out on the field. I can't promise something like that"

"I know you can't Steve" Natasha said

"But with all this" Steve said looking around and his eyes went back to Natasha "I will stick around"

"I'm glad" Natasha said

"So Miss Romanoff, would you care to go on a walk with me in the park?" Steve said smiling and holding his arm out.

Natasha smiled and lightly chuckled "Yes Mr. Rogers" Natasha said and she put her arm through his and they both walked into the park.

_**Steve**_

They walked for what seemed like hours. Steve tried to tell a joke he heard from Clint and he told it wrong. Natasha laughed at his failed attempt and Steve blushed. Steve saw a bench and it was the same one from the last time they were in the park. Steve led her over and they both sat down.

Natasha sighed as she sat down and she put her head on his shoulder. Steve smiled and he could smell her hair and it made him feel, lifted. He rested his cheek against her head and they both held each other in their arms and looked out over the pond and the leaves blew across the grass as the cold wind blew by.

"Hey Nat?" Steve asked

"What?"

"Would you do me the honors of helping me with Thanksgiving?"

"Uh, Steve I can't cook" Natasha said thinking that he should have remembered that.

"You don't need to cook, just help me around the kitchen"

"Follow orders?" Natasha said teasingly

Steve chuckled "In a way, yeah but, really just so you can be with me" Steve said smiling and he lightly kissed her head.

"It would be my pleasure, but I'm not touching the Turkey" Natasha said sarcastically

"I wouldn't expect you to" Steve said smiling

"Hey Steve?" Natasha asked after a long pause

"Yes?"

"Did you mean it, when you said you would teach me to cook?"

"Yeah, of course"

"Ok, when is our first lesson?" Natasha said smiling and she looked into Steve's pleasant gaze.

"After Thanksgiving" Steve said smiling

"Ok, it'll be fun to be in the relationship with my teacher" Natasha said smiling seductively

"You're my everything Nat, you know that don't you?" Steve said smiling

Natasha smiled and she put her hand on his face and she lightly kissed him.

**Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks for reading, and that my completion date is around May 22****nd****, It may change, but at the moment the story will be done, and it will tie into the Age of Ultron movie. I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Steve**_

The sun slowly peeked over the buildings and the horizon glowed a fiery orange and a brilliant red. Steve was sleeping on his side of the bed. He was breathing lightly. Natasha lay next to him, her head rested against his shoulder. Her left hand was resting on his chest. Steve opened his eyes and he blinked a few times. He rubbed his eyes and he looked over at the clock: 7:22 am. He always woke up before her.

He looked at Natasha and he smiled. She looked so peaceful when she slept, yet he couldn't tell if she was dreaming or in a nightmare. Steve held a smile and closed his eyes. The golden glow of the sun slowly crept through the window as if it was afraid of being caught. The warmth of the ray of sunlight moved over Steve's chest and up to his face. He felt the warmth of the rays and he kept his eyes closed and let the warmth envelope his face. Steve opened his eyes and he looked at Natasha again.

The past few days have not been great. The past two nights Steve woke up in the middle of the night and he would find Natasha missing. The first night he found Natasha in the corner of the room with her gun ready and she was checking the room frantically. It took Steve the rest of the night to calm her down and take the gun away. The night after Steve woke up with a cold blade to his throat. Natasha was sitting on top of him and was going to kill him. Steve looked into her emerald eyes and there was nothing in them, they were emotionless and cold. Nothing was there, it was as if she was back as the person who didn't believe anything, she was just a cold assassin.

The night ended with Steve getting her to snap out of it and Natasha apologizing frantically the rest of the night. She had made a small cut on his throat and she got mad at herself for it.

Steve kissed her head softly, he moved her hand off of his chest and he held her head and he rested it against the pillow. He stood up and he walked toward the bathroom and he opened the door and turned on the shower.

Natasha opened her eyes and she could see Steve standing in front of his dresser. He had tan cargo pants on and he was pulling a white shirt over his head. Natasha watched as his back muscles shifted and moved with every movement he made. Steve turned around and he smiled at her.

"Sleep well?" he asked

"Well enough" Natasha responded tiredly

"Well I'm off to the Tower" Steve said grabbing his blue jacket and slipping it on.

"What?"

"It's the day before Thanksgiving. I have to get the food ready"

"I'm coming" Natasha said and she started to get out of the bed

"Ah, no you're not" Steve said walking toward her

"What?"

"Remember, we are arriving at different times, because you wanted to keep us a secret" Steve said pointing at her then himself.

"Right, sorry. The last couple of days have been a blur"

"I will see you tonight" Steve said sitting next to her on the bed.

"You'll see me at three" Natasha said

"So earlier than planned, don't miss me too much"

"I can miss you as much as I want" Natasha said teasingly

"Ok, three. See you later" Steve said

Steve went to stand, but Natasha put her hand on his face, which stopped him.

"You're growing a beard again"

"Yeah, haven't found the time to shave it"

"Keep it, try a new look for a bit"

"Yes ma'am" Steve said smiling and he lightly kissed her

_**Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, seven miles above D.C.**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky was in his quarters and he was sitting on his bed and he was in Indian style. He had his hand on his knees and he had his eyes closed. He breathed slowly and he exhaled slowly. He felt the wave of relaxation wash over him then it was jettisoned away as someone knocked on his door.

Bucky rolled his eyes and he stood up. And he was barefoot and he was also shirtless. He didn't care who it was. If it was about something incredibly stupid, he was going to throw them off the Helicarrier. Bucky opened the door and it was Hill.

Hill saw Bucky and her eyes widened and she caught herself staring.

"Hill?" Bucky said plainly

"Uh… yeah, Fury needs us in the conference room ASAP" Hill said going back into a stare and the idle worship of his defined muscles.

"Hill?" Bucky asked

"Yeah, I'll go" Hill said slightly stuttering at her words.

She disappeared and he frowned and he closed the door. He turned around and he saw himself in the mirror and he raised his eye brows and he nodded his head slightly "Oh"

Bucky was dressed in his regular attire and he entered the conference room. Fury wasn't there yet, but Hill was. She was sitting in the chair farthest from the door. Bucky sighed and he walked over and sat in the chair farthest from the door, just in the other side of the table. Bucky could sense the uneasy tension. He glanced at her and her eyes darted away when he ever looked.

He would have chuckled years ago, but now it was more of an awkward feeling. Bucky put his metal hand on the table and it made a loud clunk. Hill slightly moved when he did. Bucky saw the micro-movement as a sense of fear. He hated being feared, he wouldn't let anyone know that, but he does. He looked at Hill again and he was going to say something when Fury walked into the room with his I-pad.

Bucky inhaled and he looked at the I-pad.

_Fury- Do you really think this could happen?_

_Agent 19- It's always possible, we've seen worse._

_Fury- I don't know if you've ever seen this man Niko._

_Agent 19- Nick, I can take care of myself._

_Fury- I would feel better if you took someone with you._

_Agent 19- And who would that be?_

_Fury- You can choose_

_Agent 19- Really?_

_Fury- Its limited options._

_Agent 19- Ok who's on the list?_

_Fury- Agent 3,5,12, and 15._

_Agent 19- Not going to work Nick._

_Fury- It's all I have available_

_Agent 19- Fury I need someone who won't bitch about things._

_Fury- Everyone bitches around you._

_Agent 29- Hence why I work alone._

_Fury- I have an idea who._

_Agent 19- Who?_

_Fury- He won't trust you._

_Agent 19- I don't need him to trust me._

_Fury- actually you do, but he would be the best qualified for the mission._

_Agent 19- This guy have a problem?_

_Fury- With S.H.I.E.L.D? No, with me sure. That's not important, he doesn't like going into things blind._

_Agent 19- Convince him then, Nick this is extremely important._

_Fury- He won't care._

_Agent 19- Sounds like a charmer._

_Fury- And your new partner, I'll contact him._

That was all Bucky could read before Fury put it face down on the table. Fury stayed standing and he looked at the two agents and he saw something a little different. They were sitting closer. He dismissed it from his mind when he saw Hill's face.

He turned to the screen and he pulled out a disc and put it in.

"Barnes, I think this might be your guy Niko" Fury said

Bucky instantly sat up straight and he turned the chair around so he could see the screen. The screen showed white noise and it turned black and then slightly became full of static.

"When did this come in?" Bucky asked

"It was in your mail"

"You went through my mail?"

"Yeah"

"Back in the day, that's like punishable by a beating" Bucky said

"Yeah, forties, you sound like Rogers" Fury said annoyed

The screen switched from black to be able to see the area it was filmed in. It looked like a warehouse at a guess. Bucky inhaled then a man stepped into view. He was tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. He had a scar across his right side of his neck. He had a few more on his face, they were light but they were still visible. One went straight through his left eye brow. Another was on his left side of his jaw. He had the most relevant one on his cheek bone and it went across his nose and ended by his lip.

He stood with perfect posture and he put his hands together and he smiled. His teeth were pristine and his hair was dirty and oily. He sat in a metal chair and he looked straight into the camera, almost at Bucky by the angle. He smiled and spoke.

"Ah, Barnes, Fury, Hill" He said shifting his focus into the direction of Hill.

"Hill, do you like it rough, or consensual?" He asked and he lightly chuckled

Hill shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"I know, what am I doing, who am I, and what do I want?" he said

Bucky glanced at Fury, who had no emotion on his face.

"I am Niko Constantine and I was with Red Room years ago."

Bucky's eyes widened at the last name.

"I was the male equivalent of the Black Widow program, which your best agent Natalia Romanova is famous for. I haven't seen her since she was twenty, and yet that was seventy years ago."

Bucky looked at Fury uneasily.

"Fury I am here to destroy you, and I will do it the only way you fear, by the people that helped build it."

Niko chuckled and he looked at Hill.

"So do you do anything wild at night alone Maria?" Niko asked and he chuckled again

Hill slightly frowned and she became even more uncomfortable.

"Oh, you do. Man I wonder if they know. Well, she… you know what nay I can see it anytime I want, I do have it on tape" Niko said smiling

Bucky didn't look back at Hill, but he could tell she was climbing into a shell.

"I will admit, it is very sexy, what you do to yourself hmm" Niko said in a disgusting manner "Man you could use a man. Well in the coming weeks, that may be filled."

Fury was tempted to turn the tape off, but they had to watch it in case there was anything that Niko would say that would give them a lead.

"Anyway, Maria, later. Barnes" he said with his voice darker "I don't expect you to remember me, I mean how you could, and you spent seventy years in and out of cryo and brain washing whenever you remembered something from the past. You did train me anyway, how is little Romanova? Last time I saw you to you were having a good time. What is it like to kiss death Barnes? Hmm maybe I get a taste and find out. I am coming for you Barnes, but you won't die first after everyone who has ever crossed your path dies then you can die"

Bucky had his metal hand gripping the side of the chair in ager and he was leaving a hand print in the metal.

"How they taught us how to deal with emotions. Cast them aside they said. They didn't understand that emotions make you strong, they wanted machines that would kill without hesitation. They got just that didn't they? My program was deemed as a failure and I was put on ice and humiliated. You could have stopped it to, and yet you did nothing. I woke up seventy years later in a prison and I was abandoned by Red Room. Do you know what that feels like, oh yeah, you were Hydra's. Well I grew out of the prison. After I took it over and then I hunted down Red Room and killed them all. Now I'm Red Room and I am going to destroy everything."

Bucky scolded at Niko.

"I'm coming for the team first, they have something I need" Niko said and he stood up and walked out of frame.

"I will kill them all James, all of them" Niko said off camera and then the screen went black.

"So that is who Niko is?" Fury said

"Yeah, I remember him now, he's good very good. But he was too volatile and he was taken out or so that's what they said"

"Barnes, get on him. I will warn the team and I don't know that is?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have fifty teams, he could be talking about either one of them"

"I will work on finding out more about where Niko is in the video"

"Good, Hill, go home" Fury said

Hill didn't move.

"Hill?" Fury asked

"Yeah, I'll get going" Hill said and she slowly got up and walked out of the room.

Bucky watched as she walked out of the room and he made a mental note to talk to her.

_**Steve**_

Steve slowly walked up the sidewalk toward the entrance of the Tower. He wanted to take his time, it was his first time back in two months. Steve smiled at the doorman and he opened the door for Steve.

"Thank you"

The doorman nodded excitedly and he smiled and let Steve walk past. Steve chuckled to himself, what does Stark do, hire fans? Steve walked toward the elevator. He waited for the door to open and he walked in and pressed the top floor where everyone would be at. Steve felt the elevator lift and pull and then he was off up into the Tower. Steve closed his eyes and he listened closely as he came to the top floor. He could here two people at the moment, but it was faint.

The elevator chimed when he came to the desired floor and the door opened. Steve went to take a step then he heard Stark's voice.

"When will people learn not to use my private elevator?" Stark said annoyed

Steve chuckled and he took a step out of the elevator and he waited to see Stark. Tony came around the corner, he had some weird thing on his head wrapped around his forehead and his face. It looked like a neurotransmitter. He seemed to be on a caffeine high. He has been in the lab for a week.

"When are we going to be able to see what you're working on?" Clint's voice asked from the kitchen.

"Not now" Stark said as he stopped and saw Steve.

"Hello Stark" Steve said politely

"You look different" Tony said

"Yes, I have a beard" Steve said

"It's not that, it's something" Tony said trailing off

"Cap, you're here" Clint said coming into view

"Legolas, doesn't he look different?" Tony asked looking back at the wrong side where no one was.

"Uh, yeah sure Stark" Clint said

"Hey Clint, any word on Natasha?" Steve asked

"Ah, I just spoke to her. She will be here earlier than expected." Clint said smiling

"Earlier?" Steve asked knowing very well what she was doing.

"Yeah, and Stark why are you staring at Cap with crazy eyes?"

Steve looked back over in Stark's direction and he was staring at him with his eyes wide open.

"You have a beard!" Stark said quite loudly

Steve raised his eye brows at him.

Clint chuckled nervously "Hey Cap this way, Bruce is in the living room" Clint said grabbed Steve by the shoulder and they both left Tony standing and staring at Steve.

Clint brought him close so he could whisper in Steve's ear.

"Thank God you're here Cap, he won't eat or sleep. He is like a druggy to building things. He is going to crash soon and it won't be good"

"How many days had he gone without sleep?" Steve asked

"Too many" Clint said as they entered the Living room.

Steve saw Bruce sitting on the couch and he was drinking some tea.

"Dr. Banner very British of you" Steve said

Bruce looked over at Steve and he swallowed fast.

"Hey Steve, yeah I was in London for a time and I always went to this café and had tea, it helps the stress"

"I thought your secret was that you're always angry?"

"Well when you're around Tony for long periods of time, you need some extra help" Bruce said and he quickly took another sip as Tony entered the room. Bruce emptied his glass and he looked down. "I'm going to need some more"

Steve slightly smirked and he turned toward Clint. Clint shrugged in a manner that said _'See_ _what I was talking about' _

Steve walked into the kitchen and he offered to make Tony a cup of coffee. Tony graciously accept.

"Cap what are you doing?" Clint mouthed

Steve nodded in a way that made Clint calm down slightly.

Steve made his famous coffee that no one beside Natasha has had and handed it to Tony. Tony took it and drank it and downed the whole cup.

"Slow down Stark" Steve said

Tony put the cup back down at the island in the kitchen and he gave Steve and thumbs up and went to walk away. He stopped and he put his hand to his head.

"Ooh I don't feel too good" Tony said as he turned back towards Steve.

"What did you give me?" Tony asked

"My famous coffee, it does this when you're too tired" Steve said slightly smirking

"I couldn't even taste it" Tony said

"That happens to" Steve said

"Caps… you are a…" Tony said and the he fell to the floor

Clint became alarmed and looked at Steve.

"What the hell?" Clint said

Steve put his hand up toward Clint "Wait for it"

"Wait for what?" Clint said then a loud snore came from Tony on the ground.

Clint looked down at him and he looked back at Steve.

"He'll wake up around nine tomorrow" Steve said and he walked past Clint and patted him on the shoulder "You're welcome" Steve said walking toward the fridge.

"Well that's what your coffee does when you're tired, how about when you're awake and fine?" Clint asked

"It's the best cup of coffee you'll ever have" Steve asked

"So can we have some?" Bruce asked

"No, Natasha is the only one who can" Steve said

"Come on, really?" Clint asked

"She is my partner" Steve said speaking in two ways that Clint understood, but Bruce didn't

"So why can't I have it?" Bruce asked

"Bruce, it would end badly for you and us" Steve said

"Huh look at that, I'm not even aloud to have the best cup of coffee ever, way to go Hulk way to go" Bruce said as he walked toward his room to get more tea.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Steve**_

Steve was walking back in forth in the kitchen as everyone else was sitting around. Tony was lying on the couch and he was face down in a pillow still sleep. Bruce was reading a book. Thor was watching something on an I-pad. Clint was the only one who wasn't sitting. He was standing by the hallway. There was still an hour away till Natasha would show, Clint wanted to be the first to talk to her.

Clint watched as Steve was figuring everything out and he spent a lot of his time writing down recipes that he could remember from years ago when he read a cooking book. Clint lightly smirked when he looked at all of them. They were a team and a dysfunctional family. Clint was drinking a beer and then his phone went off. Clint frowned and he pulled out the phone. He looked at the caller I.D. Fury. Clint scolded the phone and he answered the phone and he walked into the hallway for privacy.

"Fury, you better have a good reason for calling" Clint said

"Calm down Barton, it's just a request" Fury said

"Request huh, usually your requests end with gunfire and someone getting killed."

"Barton, I really don't need your attitude right now"

"Then speak and then you'll hear my answer" Clint said

"Ok, I need you to come in"

"No" Barton said

"Not at the moment"

"Still no"

"It involves Red Room" Fury said in a hushed tone

Clint instantly casted his other thoughts away "Talk"

"There is a guy, named Niko. He is making a move on us"

"By us you mean all of us?"

"Yes, now I need you to come to D.C. after your party and you'll will be sent on a lead with an agent"

"Whoa agent, Fury I work alone." Clint said

"She said the same thing as you, but this is too much for one person. I need results and fast"

"Who is this agent?"

"Agent 19"

Clint blinked and inhaled and he frowned "Mockingbird?" Clint said

"Yes"

"Ok, well I will see her later, I've never actually met her"

"Your personalities will butt heads, but you both have the necessary skills to get it done"

"Yeah, anyway Fury you owe me one"

"Yeah, yeah just help us out"

"This involves Natasha, it would be best not to tell her" Clint said

"I agree, I don't want to see what the name Red Room would do to her mentally"

"If anything, not good. Listen, we meet where I want to and she comes alone. No other agents or whatever you have up your sleeve, not even a wire or drone. Got it?"

"Ok, you got it"

"Now happy Thanksgiving" Clint said and he hung up

Clint shook his head as he put his phone in his pocket.

"Who was that?"

Clint jumped at the voice and he looked back to see Natasha standing there. Clint exhaled and he was filled with relief and he put his hand to his heart.

"You always could sneak up on me" Clint said smiling

"Hey it's good to see you" Natasha said

"Yeah, and your boyfriend is busy in the kitchen" Clint said softly

"Yeah, while we're here, we are just partners" Natasha said

"So you are just going to act like you did before all this?" Clint asked amused

"What?"

"Oh nothing, only that you gave him do me eyes all the time"

"Well he has done me" Natasha said smirking

"Lucky him" Clint said chuckling

"Shut it Barton" Natasha said laughing

"Yeah, well he is in there and Stark is passed out on the couch thanks to Steve's famous coffee which Stark couldn't even taste when it was given to him and that it made him go to sleep and he will wake up at nine, tomorrow"

"Yeah, Steve told me never to drink it when you haven't slept"

"I guess it is wise word to live by"

"So who was on the phone?"

Clint's smile slightly disappeared, he was hopping that he had gotten out of that. "Fury"

"Fury, What does he want?"

"Just wants some help"

"Right now?"

"Next time I'm free"

"When's that?"

"After dinner tomorrow"

"What are you helping with?"

"Just meeting someone"

"You getting dates from Fury?" Natasha asked amused

Clint frowned "No, its business"

"Ok, well I am going to go see Stark passed out on a couch and take pictures and photo shop them"

"I want one" Clint said

Natasha smiled and she walked toward the kitchen where Steve was still hustling around. Steve looked up and saw her.

"Oh thank God, I need some help"

"Help?"

"Yeah, there is literally nothing in this kitchen that would allow me to cook anything."

"Our fault Cap, we survive on pop tarts, peanut butter, TV dinners, tea, coffee, and beer" Clint said

"You guys live like you're in college" Steve said

"Oh catching up on how college kids survive huh, nice Cap" Clint said crossing his arms

Steve chuckled and he looked at Natasha "Well I have to go shopping for the supplies. It seems the only thing that they bought was a turkey." Steve said walking past her

"Ok, I will catch up with everyone" Natasha said and she looked at Steve with her "Do me eyes" and Steve met her gaze with the same kind of eyes; Clint was the only one who saw this.

Clint spit out his beer and he started to cough.

"You ok?" Bruce asked

"Yeah… just saw something… that caught me off guard" Clint said slightly coughing in between breaths.

"And that was?" Bruce asked

"The fact that Stark is soaking that pillow with drool" Clint said looking at Tony; who was in fact drowning the pillow

Bruce frowned and he shook his head and went back to reading. Natasha couldn't help but smirk.

_**Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, seven miles above D.C.**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky sat at the desk in his quarters and he was looking at a stack of papers. Papers were all over the floor and Bucky was resting his head on the desk and he was asleep. Bucky was lightly snoring and he stirred slightly and his eyes fluttered. Bucky opened his eyes and his head was hurting. He put his hand to his temple and he slightly groaned as the pulses of pain came faster. He closed his eyes and kept them shut and he gasped and gritted his teeth. Then he heard his own voice speaking.

"First lesson: never lose track of what you are doing" His voice echoed and Bucky felt the pulses of pain abate and then shoot back. He groaned in pain and he fell out of his chair.

"Second lesson: never forget lesson one"

Bucky gasped and he crawled across the floor and he reached the wall and he sat up against it. He put his head against the wall and lightly tapped his head against it.

"Niko, stay focused, emotions make you weak and strong"

Bucky had to keep his eyes closed or he would yell out in pain. He gasped in pain.

"Romanova, use your size against them, hit low with fast strikes"

Bucky had trouble not ripping his hair out, he shuttered and he groaned "Fuck". He exhaled painfully and he gasped.

"I'm sorry James, Niko is too volatile. He is a failed experiment"

"What of Romanova?"

"She is a success, end your relationship with her"

"Why?"

"Emotions make you weak, don't worry she won't remember the relationship. The brainwashing will solve that problem."

"What will she think after it?"

"That she is a ballerina"

"Really?"

"Among other things, but it is time that you go back to Hydra, Zola needs your services"

Bucky opened his eyes and he was in a dark room and he was breathing raggedly. He rubbed his eyes and then Niko's voice filled his ears.

"I am Red Room. I am here to destroy you. Sir! Help! Why! I WILL KILL YOU!"

Bucky slightly gasped and he felt his eyes start to burn and tears flowed out of them. He held his head in his hands. Then another pulse of pain hit him.

"I'm sorry, I have to go and this would have never worked out"

Bucky opened his eyes and he waited for another pulse, but nothing came. He inhaled and he slowly stood; his legs were shaking slightly. Bucky saw the digital clock: 9:34 pm. He felt his heart hammering in his chest and he shook his head. He stood up straight and he closed his eyes and he inhaled slowly and exhaled the same. Bucky remembered Hill. He walked toward the door and opened it and he walked down the hallway, making two other agents jump out of his way in fear.

Bucky knew that she didn't go home, she just went somewhere private so she could be alone. He checked her quarters first out of habit. She wasn't there. He continued through the helicarrier and he passed a training area where he saw Peter and some guy in a green outfit and a yellow head covering. He continued on and he had to think, if he was Maria. Well if he was Maria… no. Where would she go to get away? Bucky closed his eyes and he thought back to all the places where he knew that were secluded. He crossed off the hangar, which was where he went.

He thought about the lower levels, yeah the lower levels. He thought about what was down there. Storage, engines, data banks, munitions. Ah Engines, it was the farthest away from anything. Bucky guessed this because of how Hill liked to sit farthest from the door just like he does. He walked toward an elevator and he waited as he called the elevator by pressing the button. The door opened and there was a brunette lab worker with a clip board and he walked in and scared her to death, so much that she back into a corner and she forgot to get off. Bucky turned his back to her and he stood straight up and he waited as the elevator would arrive at the lower levels. He noticed that the girl was cowering in the corner.

"You heading down?" Bucky asked

"Uh… not up"

"Oh, sorry for hijacking the ride" Bucky said not looking at her

"No problem, you seem in a hurry"

"I need to talk to someone"

"You talk to people?"

"Yeah, when I want to discuss something, why?"

"Down in the mess hall, we all talk about how you are a silent bastard who will kill anyone who looks at you wrong"

"Yeah" Bucky said

"What?" she suddenly said in a high voice

"Their right I do. Only when they annoy me"

"Who annoy you?"

"Mostly guards that should know better"

"So not innocent people?"

"In the past, yes when I wasn't in control"

"You weren't in control?"

"I was brainwashed most of the time"

"Oh"

"What?"

"Nothing, you're just… human"

"There is word around here that I'm not?"

"Yeah, more like hell yeah"

"Well pat yourself on the back, this is the only conversation I've had with a random person on this helicarrier"

"I would say that I'm flattered, but"

"It's the arm isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's a little unsettling"

"Maybe I should wear long sleeves with gloves"

"It may help"

"Yeah, yet I don't really care what other people think"

"Everyone worries about what other people think of them"

"Only when the person doesn't know what they are"

"Who are you?"

"I am a man out of time and I am a monster who killed hundreds of people and I helped a group rise to power and then I was woken up by an old friend. Then here we are, oh and I have an old friend from the past who wants to kill me"

"Wow"

"Yeah, tell me about it"

The elevator opened and he walked out and he looked back at the girl and she was actually standing up straight and she slightly waved at him as the door closed. Bucky raised his eye brows _not entirely horrible. _Bucky found his way to the engines. He closed his eyes and he could hear someone in there. Bucky nodded and he opened the door to the engines. He found Hill sitting on a power cell and her back was to him and she was in a black shirt with navy camo pants.

Bucky slowed his pace and he stopped five feet before Hill. Hill's head slightly shifted and she knew someone was there.

"I never expected you" Hill said softly

"Well, I have to check on my partner" Bucky said his voice sounding strange to him.

"That man is…"

"A pig?" Bucky said

"I was going to go with something worse, but yeah a pig would suffice."

"Hey, you can't let him get to you. Niko was always good at getting in your head"

"I don't think he got into my head"

"What is this about, is this about the whole what do you do to yourself when you're alone?"

"It's private"

"Wait, he was telling the truth?"

Hill nodded and she wouldn't look at him. Bucky took a step forward and he tilted his head and he could see the glimmer of tears from the faint light in the room. He sighed silently.

"Sure I get lonely, but I am so busy all the time. I just don't have time for relationships"

"Hill" Bucky said and he got no reaction "Maria" Bucky was hesitant to say her name

Hill looked at him and her eyes were red and slightly swollen.

"I shouldn't have let him get to me so easily" Hill said looking down

"Hey, emotions make you weak" Bucky said frankly

Hill smiled and scoffed as in a sarcastic "Thank you so much you ass"

"But they also make you strong" Bucky said

Hill looked back at him and she saw something different in his eyes, he seemed normal. Like a normal guy.

"Yeah, and who is the famous person who said that?"

"Me" Bucky said

Bucky walked in front of Hill and he stood close and he looked at her.

"What emotions did you feel in that conference room?"

"I'm sure you can guess"

"No, you say it yourself"

Hill hesitated and she spoke "Anger, disgust, fear"

"There it is, fear."

"Fear is the big one out of those?"

"It's is the most important. Anger is easy to manage and use. Disgust you can't do anything with that. Fear, what does fear usually cause?"

"Bad choices?" Hill said clearly not seeing the point

"Everything that has ever happened or will happen with humans is caused by fear. The fear of attack, the fear of their last day on earth, the fear of a small spider. They are all connected to make us choose certain things that aren't logical"

"So what you block it out?"

"No, you can't stop emotions, but you can hide them"

"You learn to do this in Hydra?"

"No, United States Army" Bucky said smirking

"By who?"

"Steve" Bucky said

Hill was surprised by the information.

"Steve had fear, no doubt, but every time I saw him get beat up in a fight, he never showed any fear. He always got back up and kept going. Then I would step in and save him"

"Huh"

"Fear can make you make some bad choices that could cost you your life or someone else's, but fear can be overcome with courage and determination."

"Courage huh"

"Yeah, courage is like borderline stupidity" Bucky said

Hill chuckled at the sentence. Bucky smiled and he laughed with her. Hill stopped laughing when she saw him laughing to and she could see his perfect white teeth and he looked so normal. Bucky did the same and he looked at Hill's eyes and he became lost in them. Hill inhaled and she could smell his scent and it made her light headed. She blinked and she felt her mouth become dry. Bucky's face was close to hers and they were both slowly coming closer.

Hill could feel the warmth from his breath against her face. His hand was on the power cell next to her thigh and it made her heart skip in her chest. Bucky moved his metal hand to her left arm and he lightly touched her. Hill's eyes became dilated by his touch and Bucky's forehead touched hers. Their lips were close and they touched. Hill put her hand on Bucky's shoulder and his real hand went to her thigh and went to her waist. His touch made her quiver and they kissed lightly. They slightly separated and Bucky looked at Hill. His metal hand shot to her back and pulled her closer and she gasped slightly and they kissed deeply and her hand went through his hair. Bucky exhaled and he pulled her closer and Hill opened her mouth slightly and Bucky slipped his tongue in. She did the same.

The explored each other's mouths and they tasted each other. Hill's heart was hammering and Bucky held her close. She was against him and her legs went around his waist. Bucky groaned as she kissed his neck. Bucky kissed her neck and lightly sucked. She moaned and Bucky put his hand on her suits zipper and he went to pull it down then her communicator went off.

Bucky and Hill stopped and Hill answered it.

"Fury?"

"Hill, I need you on the bridge, and find Barnes." Fury said "On the double Hill" and he disconnected.

Bucky slightly laughed and he looked at Hill. She took her legs away from his waist and she looked at him. Bucky took his hands away from her and she slipped off the power cell and she started to walk forward.

"Hill" Bucky said

She looked back at him.

"Your zipper" Bucky said

Hill looked down and her cat suit's zipper was down to her belly button and her breasts in a navy blue bra were about to pop out. She nodded and she pulled the zipper up and she continued and she looked back at Bucky.

Bucky watched her disappear and he inhaled and he licked his lips and he rubbed his lips. He exhaled and followed her.

**Author's Note: What do you think is going to happen between the characters: Steve/Natasha, Bucky/Hill? And how is Clint and Bobbi's first meeting going to be like? Give me a review.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Steve**_

The dinner was an hour away and Steve had arranged all the food in a buffet style. The island had the bread and the drinks. There was no room on the counter and a separate table consisted of disserts. Steve stood next to Natasha. She had to keep herself from kissing him.

"You did a good job Steve" Natasha said

"Man we eat a lot" Steve said exhaling

"Yeah, and it's mostly you and Thor"

"I eat that much because of the metabolism, Thor eats all that just because he can."

"So do we have everything?" Natasha asked

"Ok let's see. Ham, Turkey, pork sirloin, mashed potatoes, gravy, scallop corn, biscuits, green bean casserole. For the deserts: Five pumpkin pies, three apple, two blueberry, and one cheese cake, and pop tarts. I think that's all, oh and plenty of beer and pop." Steve said

"It sounds good" Tony said walking in

"And you guys better eat every ounce of it, if there are any left overs I know exactly what will happen to it; it will be wasted and thrown away" Steve said

"Ah Cap you know us so well." Tony said putting his hand to his heart

"This is a glorious feast!" Thor shouted from the hallway

"I'll take that as a complement" Steve said

"So Cap, you and red?" Tony said with his fist in the air and moved it back and forth

"What are you doing?" Steve asked puzzled

"Stark, do that again, or even suggest that Steve and I have slept together and I will break your arm" Natasha said annoyed

"Wow remarks from Stark and then threats, its home" Clint said walking in

"Where's Bruce?" Steve asked

"He will be along shortly" Clint said

"What happened?" Steve asked

"Oh nothing, he just you know what it's better if you don't know" Clint said waving his hand

"I'm ok, just a little preoccupied!" Bruce said from the hallway

"Well, can we please eat, and Cap I'm going to get you for that coffee thing" Tony said walking up to the kitchen and he grabbed a plate.

"Yes, Stark you can get the food" Steve said annoyed

Steve waited for everyone to get their food and when he was the last one he got his. Funny how they actually didn't have a dining room. They all just found a spot in the living room. Bruce was in his usual spot and Tony was closest to the TV. Thor was where ever he pleased to sit. Clint was actually sitting on a high chair from the bar.

Steve found a seat next to Bruce and Natasha had to fight every fiber in her being to not sit next to him. She found a spot next to Thor. They began to eat and the first person to ruin the moment was Tony; as usual.

"So Cap how was your two month leave?"

"Not bad"

"Do anything fun?"

"Not really, most of the time I just never left the bed" Steve said slightly glancing at Natasha; no one could see his eyes move over to her.

"So two months of being lazy, wow" Clint said

"Well I always worked out" Steve said smiling

Clint realized what he meant and he let his mouth fall down slightly. He put on a fake smile and chuckled.

"So the morning jog?" Bruce asked

"Well no, but some stretching, and lifting things, you know carrying other things. Not really my usual workout here, but it was fun"

"How would all that be fun?" Tony asked

"It was fun because I wasn't here"

"Oh you have stung me Cap" Tony said

"Ok red what about you?" Tony said looking to his left over at Natasha.

"What?"

"You were missing as much as Cap over here, what have you been doing for two months?"

Natasha slightly smiled "Nothing eventful, just the occasional workout"

"My gosh, you guys do the exact same thing?" Tony said then his eyes went wide "Oh it was a gym scene"

"Stark what did I say about assuming?" Natasha asked

"What no, I… didn't imply that" Tony chuckled nervously "Unless it's what happened" Tony said

"Ok, Stark come here" Natasha said standing up

"Whoa" Tony said and he put down his plate and he fell off the couch, over the arm.

Natasha stopped and she smiled and went back to her seat and finished her food. Tony scrambled to his feet and he looked over at Natasha, who was back to eating her food. He sat back down cautiously and he grabbed his plate and finished his food quietly.

Clint was smiling and he finished his last piece of pork. He looked over at Natasha and she shrugged her shoulders. Clint stood up and he walked over to the kitchen and he grabbed three pieces of pie.

Steve was the second to follow with five pieces of pie. Thor had eaten all the pop tarts already and he was seen eating the rest of the cheese cake. Tony had settle with two pieces and Natasha had half of one. Bruce had a large picture of tea and he had the last piece of blueberry pie.

By the time everyone was done, the food had been completely eaten and Tony was sitting on the couch and he had his eyes half closed. "Man I ate too much" He said softly

"Me too" Clint said

Steve and Thor were fine and Natasha was the same. Bruce was the smart one and ate the perfect amount. He was back to reading some physics book. Steve stood up and he looked at all of them.

"Who wants to help with the cleaning?"

No one raised their hand, Steve smirked and he walked to the kitchen. Tony had went off to his lab and Clint was sleeping on the couch. Bruce went back to his room and Thor was nowhere to be seen. Natasha walked up behind Steve as he was cleaning all the dishes. She put her hands on his back and she felt his defined muscles and she slowly moved her hands over them. Steve smiled and he put the dishes down and he turned around to see her.

She was looking at him with her eyes like before and he did the same. He slowly put his hands on her arms and moved them down. Natasha exhaled and she got close to him. Steve glanced around to make sure no one was watching. He put his hand on her face and they kissed lightly.

"Hmm, so when do I get a present?" Natasha asked

"Present?" Steve asked

Natasha's hand grabbed him and he let his mouth fall open and he looked at her.

"You know our partner anniversary is coming up?" Steve said as she put her hand down into his pants and held him in her hand.

"Uh huh" Natasha said and she kissed him and she lightly stroked him.

"I wanted to get you something, and it's a surprise" Steve said

"Oh, then I look forward to it" Natasha said and she slightly bit his lip.

Steve groaned slightly and he held her in his arms and he kissed her hungrily. He felt his heart start to run. He held her close and he could feel her being mixing with his. Natasha moaned softly as he kissed her neck and touched her breast. Natasha moaned and Steve turned her around and her ass went to his groin and she was against the counter. Natasha almost moaned loudly, but Steve put his hand over her mouth. She looked over and Clint was still asleep. She let out a rugged breath as Steve kissed her neck and her back. His hand was on her hip and he felt her rub up against him and she moved her ass and messaged him.

Steve groaned softly even though he wanted to do it loudly. Natasha moaned as she felt him against her and Steve moved his hand down toward her clit. She slightly gasped as he touched her. Her body was melting away and she was becoming hot. She pushed her ass onto his groin which made Steve moan. She smiled and she moaned as his finger entered her. She let out a rugged breath and she felt Steve's other hand grabbing her breast and massaging her nipple. She felt the rush and a warm wave traveled down her entire body and she started to moan loudly and Steve put his hand over her mouth and muffled the cries of pleasure.

Steve felt his cock between her ass and she moved against him harder and he felt a rush and he was becoming light headed. Natasha felt her climax coming and she closed her eyes and she felt it take place and she moaned loudly into his hand. Steve came as well and she could feel a warmth from him and she put her hands on the counter and she inhaled raggedly and she looked back at Steve and he was in the same state as her and he was breathing deeply. Natasha kissed him and Steve held her close as they kissed for what seemed like for hours.

_**Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, seven miles above D.C.**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky was walking around the helicarrier. He hadn't seen Hill since their moment down in the engines. Bucky decided to go to the training room. He needed a workout anyway. Bucky walked in and he was alone. He looked around and he saw an operator up in the control room. Bucky stood in the middle of the room. He looked up at the operator, who almost jumped out of his skin when he saw him.

"Hey can you set up a training session?" Bucky asked

The operator scrambled to the controls. "Yeah, what setting do you want?"

"Give me the most difficult setting" Bucky said

"Ok"

"What am I going to be fighting?"

"Um… robots really"

"Do any of them have guns?"

"I can make that a setting"

"Make it a double setting guns and hand to hand combat"

"You sure?"

Bucky looked up at him "Ok"

"Are the guns set to stun?" Bucky asked

"Yes"

"Set them to live rounds"

"Uh"

"Can you do that?"

"Yeah, but I would advise against it"

"Just do it, oh and can I get three weapons?"

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"A knife, an electric baton, and a pistol"

"Ok" the operator said as his pit in the settings and three things came out of the floor and it was his weapons.

Bucky grabbed the knife and he put it in his holder and he took the baton and put it on his lower back and he put his pistol in his holster and he stood waiting for the training to commence.

"Ok, in thirty seconds"

Bucky kept his eyes closed and he listened to the beeping of the clock.

Hill was walking down a hallway and she saw a group of agents walking past. She frowned and she stopped them.

"What's going on?"

"Miles has the Winter Soldier in the training room and he is doing the hardest difficulty, we're going to watch"

"What?"

"You want to come?"

"Yeah" Hill said and she followed the rest of the agents to the control room.

Bucky knew that he had twenty seconds left and he slowly breathed. He pushed all thought away from his mind and he hid his emotions he was having and he slowly breathed.

Hill walked in with the others and they were all standing around the window and they looked down to see Bucky standing waiting for the session to begin.

"Hey Hansen I want a hundred on Barnes"

"I think the robots will win" Hansen said

"You want to bet?"

"Yeah, everyone who wants to be in on it pick who you think will win and put some money down" Hansen said

"Hill, you want in?" Hansen asked

"No" Hill said simply and she held her hand to her chin and she looked down at Bucky.

Bucky had five seconds and he took in another breath and then the bell ringed and robots came out of the floor. Bucky kept his eyes closed and one of them ran at him. He listened and he heard it get close and he opened his eyes and he stopped it with his foot and he jumped and spun and kicked it with his other foot. Bucky landed and he ducked a blow and he tackled the robot and pulled out the knife and stabbed it in the face sending black oil onto the floor.

Bucky rolled forward and he kicked one in the knee and the leg snapped and Bucky punched it head off with his metal hand. Bucky stood and a metal hand came at him. He ducked and kicked the robot away and he ran at one and kicked it into a wall. Bucky pulled out his pistol and fired at one of them and it twitched and fell to the floor. Bucky was out of bullets and he ran and slid on the ground and used the butt of the gun pistol and smashed a robot's head in. Bucky stood and tossed the pistol at one of the robots and it hit it in the face and made it stumble.

Bucky ran and flipped one over him and stomped his foot on its face. A robot got their arms around him and Bucky stepped on its foot and head butted it. Bucky pushed the pain away and he took its arm and twisted it and made it break. He elbowed it and he jumped and spun and punched through the robot's chest. Bucky saw three more coming and he was ready. He grabbed his baton and hit one in the face and he smacked it quickly a few times in the chest then kicked it away.

Bucky ran at the other two and jumped into the air and he put his hands around one of the robot's head and he put his feet around the others. Bucky used his momentum and his weight and he brought them down and tore their heads off and he rolled and stabbed another one and then slammed the baton into its face. The robot twitched and fell over. Bucky stood up and he looked up and he noticed that there was a large group of other agents and Hill was to the far right by herself.

"Ok I have to admit that was impressive" Hansen said

A computer voice spoke "Round two"

Bucky stood straight again and he breathed slowly and calmed his emotions and he slowed his heart. He heard the robots come up out of the floor and he heard all their guns cock. He opened his eyes and everything moved in slow motion. They fired and Bucky rolled and he grabbed one of them and used them as a shield. He grabbed its arm and aimed it at three others and he took out two with the gun attached to the robot's arm.

Bucky ran and he pushed his ability and he ran faster than the robots could follow him shooting. Bucky slid and he pulled out his knife and he stabbed one of the robots numerous times and then he stuck the blade through the circuits in the throat. He dodged a punch and he kicked the robot away and he grabbed the knife and he caught a bullet to the arm. He fell over and he hit the floor. Blood went onto the floor and Bucky hissed in pain.

Hill looked over at the rest of the agents and they were all too busy watching. She went for the controls.

Bucky rolled out of the way of fire and he was hit by another bullet, this time in the metal arm and it reflected and hit a wall. Bucky rolled forward and he picked one of the robots up and threw it onto the ground and he stomped on its face, making it cave inward. Bucky saw one more robot behind him and he quickly grabbed his knife and twisted as it fired and he threw the knife.

Bucky got out of the way of the bullets by seconds and the knife went into the robot's head making it short circuit and fall to the floor. Then a computer voice spoke "Training exercise over" Bucky looked up at the control room and Hill had pulled a lever down.

The other agents looked at Hill and they looked back at the carnage that was the training floor.

"Ah, shit" Hansen said giving his money away to other agents. They all left and they seemed upset about Hill pulling the plug. Hill exited the control room and went down to the training floor.

Bucky saw her disappear and he exhaled, "Here we go" he said under his breath.

End of Act 1


	9. Chapter 9: Act 2

_**Clint**_

Clint opened his eyes and he quickly squinted as the sun beamed into his pupils. Clint put his hand in front of his eyes and he opened them again. He blinked a few times till his pupils adjusted. He took his hand away and he slowly sat up. He was on the couch, he must have fell asleep after dinner. He rubbed his eyes and he yawned.

He looked at the clock: 7:21 am. Clint sat up and he felt his back crack. He groaned and he cracked his neck.

_That's the last time I sleep on the couch. _

Clint stood and he walked to the hallway and he went up a stairway and he jumped up onto a ledge. He pulled himself up and he sniffed and he blinked again. He was still asleep. He jumped up to another one, and he held himself up and he looked back at the other one and he planted his feet on the wall and he pushed off and jumped backwards and he grabbed the ledge. He grunted slightly and he pulled himself up. He stood up and he found a small black rope. He grabbed it and he started to pull himself up with only his arms.

He came to a small hatch and he held himself up with one hand and he opened the hatch with his free hand. He grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up. He climbed through and sat down on the floor and he closed the hatch. He looked around his room, he hadn't been in it awhile and it had begun to gather a little dust. He stood up and he walked to the wall and he grabbed a lever and pulled it down and metal shudders flipped up.

The sun peered into the room and he could see all the small particles in the air. Clint pulled off his shirt and he slightly grunted as his scar pulled. He dropped the shirt and he ran his finger across his newest scar. He winced and he inhaled and he walked over to his dresser. He pulled off his watch and he tossed it onto the dresser. He pulled out his phone and he put it in its charger. He rubbed his eyes again and he slipped out of his boots next. He placed them against his bed and he unclipped his belt and he let his pants fall away. He stood in his boxers and he stretched and he cracked his back again.

Clint pulled off his socks and he walked toward his bathroom. He closed the door and he slipped out of his boxers and he tossed them aside and he stepped into his walk in shower and he turned on the shower. The water was cold at first and Clint dodged it quickly then it got warm. Clint grabbed his tooth brush from a small ledge in the shower and he put toothpaste on it and he slowly put it under the water and he took it away quickly and he began to brush his teeth.

He felt his mouth become fresh and clean and he opened his mouth and he got some of the warm water into his mouth and he gurgled it and spit it out towards the drain in the middle of the shower. Clint's skin was damp from the steam and he stepping into the steady spray of warm water and he let it run over him and his hair went down and he felt the warm water run down his face. He put his hand on the wall in front of him and he let the water run over him.

He relaxed under the warm water and he grabbed his shampoo and he put it into his hand and began to wash his hair. He scrubbed and then he rinsed it out. He made sure it was all out of his hair and he grabbed his body wash. He washed his arms, legs, back, chest, and two other areas. He winced slightly as he went over his new scar and he exhaled and he rinsed the suds away and he turned off the shower. He grabbed a towel from a rack that was next to the door and he dried his hair and the rest of him and he wrapped it around his waist and he walked out of the bathroom.

He saw a message on his phone and he looked at it.

_She is one the way Barton, you have good taste in meeting places. The bar, she'll approve-Fury._

Clint chuckled lightly and he began to get dressed.

Clint walked into the kitchen and Steve was standing behind Natasha. Clint had a look of alarm when Natasha slightly yelled. Clint took a step forward.

"Steve" Natasha said

"You have to flip it Natasha" Steve said

Clint stopped and sniffed. Steve was teaching her how to cook. Clint smirked and he turned around and he walked into the hallway.

"Ah it looks horrible" Natasha said

"It looks fine, give yourself some credit" Steve said lovingly

"You're just saying that"

"I will admit it isn't perfect, but not bad for your first egg"

"If an egg is hard, how the hell do you make a casserole?"

"One step at a time babe"

Clint chuckled as he walked into the elevator and he pressed the button for the garage. He waited for the door to open. He felt the elevator slowed and it pinged and the door opened. He walked out into the large garage and he found his car. It was a dark purple convertible. He had tan seats and he put on sunglasses and he put the keys into the ignition and he felt the car come to life. He smiled and he drove out of the garage and onto the street.

Clint stopped at a red light and he waited patiently and he was about ten minutes away from the bar. He kept a small smirk on his face, and he had to wonder what she was going to be like. He might actually like her. Clint had a hard time liking anyone. He kept in his mind that he still wouldn't trust her. He wouldn't trust her for a second, she needed to earn his trust. Clint saw the light go green and he put his foot on the gas and he drove forward. Clint pulled into a parking spot and he got out of the car and he put coins in the parking meter. He sighed and he walked to the bar's door. He opened it and no one was there, it wasn't even open yet.

"We aren't open yet… oh Mr. Barton" An elderly man said

"Hey Hicks" Clint said smiling

"You didn't tell me you were coming"

"Oh, business. I'm meeting someone here"

"It isn't a girl is it?"

"Huh, funny you should ask that. It is"

"Mr. Barton when are you going to find yourself someone?"

"Not my style Hicks, you know that"

"A man has to change sooner or later Mr. Barton"

"Well today isn't the day" Clint said sitting down at a booth.

"You want your usual?" Hicks asked

"It's a bit early Hicks"

"Is it, huh I remember that never stopped you"

"Fine one beer" Clint said smiling

Clint noticed a woman walking into the bar and she had long blonde hair and she looked beautiful. Hicks turned toward Clint and he spoke softly "Is that her?"

Clint nodded

"Damn son" Hicks said and he walked away chuckling

Clint didn't bother to get up, he just took off his sunglasses and put one of the supports on his collar and they hung there in front of his chest. The woman looked over and she saw Clint sitting in the booth. He looked better than she expected. She walked over and she sat down.

Clint followed her with his eyes and he didn't smile like he usually would if a beautiful woman sat down in front of him.

"You must be Agent Barton" she said

"It's Clint" Clint said

"Oh, from my understanding you were still and agent"

"I haven't been and agent for six months" Clint said smiling and he was happy he wasn't

"I sense some resentment in your voice"

"Yeah, I was ordered to capture Steve. Like they honestly expected me to take down a friend"

"You seem to do that a lot" she said

"That business with Natasha was different"

"Oh so it's Natasha, not Romanoff"

"We're friends" Clint said he was beginning not to like her.

"How is it different?"

"Are you interrogating me?"

"Am I?"

"I hope so, because if this is how you talk to anyone else, I'm surprised no has shot you yet"

"Your reputation precedes you"

"Yeah, and here is the famous Huntress, now Mockingbird" Clint said

"I see you know a bit about me"

"Yeah, it's in your file"

"You read my file?"

"Yeah last night"

"Only the director of S.H.I.E.L.D can read my file"

"Hem the director let me, Fury wants to keep my trust"

"Well, it seems you have trust issues"

"Shouldn't I?"

She stayed quiet to this and she blinked and she pulled out a file.

"Do you know a man named Niko Constantine?"

Clint took the file and he opened it and he looked at the man in the picture.

"No, who is he?"

"Well he is now the leader of the notorious group called Red Room"

Clint mentally gulped and he looked up from the file.

"Red Room?"

"Yep"

"You're sure?"

"As sure as we heard from the horse's mouth"

"He made contact?"

"Twice" she said nodding

"Let me guess, once by communicator, and another by tape?"

"How'd you know?"

"Just a lucky guess. How dangerous is this man?"

"Well, he killed the old leaders of Red Room and took it over and now he's after James Barnes"

"Barnes?"

"Yes, Barnes trained him seventy years ago"

"What is it with the seventy year thing?"

"No idea, but he was unpredictable and good, very good"

"Barnes tell you this?"

She nodded "He is the male equivalent to Black Widow"

Clint put the file down on the table and he exhaled.

"You do know, that is not a good combination. What happened to him?"

"He was deemed a failure, because he was too volatile and they couldn't control him."

"Ironic"

"He was originally called the Spider and he was the leader of Shadow games. Now we know his name and what his organization is called."

"Yeah, but only because he told you"

"We would have found out sooner or later"

"So he wants what?"

"To destroy Barnes, and everyone he knows and it has to do with something that involves Romanoff"

"What do you think? He wants to use her to kill Barnes?"

"No idea, I was hoping that you would help me on finding out what that plan is"

"So are you asking me or telling me?"

"Asking"

"Well that's kind of you"

"So what do you say?"

Clint was silent for a minute or two and he looked at the file and then back at her.

"OK, I'll help you get him" Clint said

"Thank you"

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for a friend, she has my trust and I hope I have hers"

"You'll report to D.C. Tomorrow" she said getting up

"Well, have a nice day Miss Morse" Clint said also standing

Morse left and Clint was standing alone and Hicks came over with his beer. Clint accepted it and he drank it rather quickly.

"You going to ask her out?"

Clint looked back at Hicks "What?" Hicks asked with his hands raised.

_**Steve**_

Steve finished washing the pan and he put it on the side of the counter. He turned to Natasha, who was sitting at the bar. Steve walked up behind her and he kissed her shoulder.

"Long road huh?" Natasha asked

"It wasn't that bad Nat."

"I know"

"Then do you think you could do it again?"

"I don't know Steve"

"How about I help you through the steps"

"No, I have to be able to do this on my own"

"Ok, tomorrow, you will make me breakfast" Steve said smiling turning back to the sink

"Oh God" Natasha exhaled and put her head in her hands and she smiled "I hope I don't poison you"

"What better way to get poisoned than by breakfast" Steve said smirking

"That's a sick sense of humor"

"I just realized that" Steve said smiling

"Well aren't you two adorable" Clint said

Steve and Natasha looked over at the Clint who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"How did the meeting go?" Natasha asked

"Meeting?" Steve asked

"Oh, like usual, they need some help and I'm on the top of the list" Clint said smirking

"That doesn't help your ego" Natasha said smiling

Clint chuckled and he walked forward and he stopped at the bar and he put his hand on the counter and he leaned.

"So Cap, how did the cooking lesson go?"

"You saw that?" Natasha said alarmed

"Its ok, it's nice to see you learning something that's, normal" Clint said smiling

"Shut up" Natasha said softly smirking

"I didn't say anything" Clint said smiling

"Yeah, but you were thinking loud enough" Natasha said

"Ok, you caught me. So Cap do you think it would be ok if I left for a while?"

"Why are you asking me?" Steve asked confused

"So it's ok?"

"Yeah, its fine" Steve said smiling, still confused

"Thanks sir" Clint said

"What?"

"Oh, I just like to think you're the leader" Clint said walking away

Natasha turned her head toward Steve "Leader of the Avengers, it does have a nice ring to it" she said smiling

"I'm not the leader" Steve said blushing

"You might as well be"

"We're all equals"

"When has that ever stopped someone from having a leading position?"

"Nat, I'm not the leader"

"Then who is? Please don't tell me it's Stark" Natasha said

"No, no way" Steve said

"See, then you're the leader" Natasha said

"That doesn't make any sense" Steve said shaking his head

"Steve, you come up with every plan, and you give us orders during missions. Face it you're the leader" Natasha said and she walked past him.

Steve followed her with his gaze as she walked to the hallway.

"Oh, and if the leader ever wants special treatment, you know where to get it" Natasha said smiling seductively

Steve blushed and smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Just wanted to thank you for reading. You keep reading and I'll keep writing. Review.**

_**Niko**_

The sun was rising and it gave the land a golden glow. The bright sun reflected off the snow, the water was covered in ice and small chunks of ruble. Niko was standing on the wall of a huge castle. He had his eyes closed and he breathed in the ice cold air and it traveled down his nostrils. He smiled and he exhaled and he inhaled again. He opened his eyes and he could see the sun rising and peering through the clouds. He frowned and he felt the bitter wind nipping at his cheeks. Niko noticed that someone was behind him.

"What is it?" Niko asked annoyed already

"The last stage has been completed sir"

"Good, I will look over it myself" Niko said taking one last look at the sunrise and he frowned at it and he turned and walked towards the stairs that led into the building. He walked through a few hallways then he came to the center and it was a huge circle with cells lining all the way up. Niko smiled and he could hear the loud chatter of the prisoners.

"Guard, feed the animals" Niko said

"Sir" the guard said and he went into another hallway.

Niko chuckled as he could hear the cries of prisoners and then the laughter of other prisoners. Niko felt right at home. Well when he was a prisoner here, he never spoke a word. He walked to the elevator and he walked in. He pulled a lever and the elevator lurched and went down.

Niko came to a dark passage and the elevator door opened and he walked through the dark tunnel. He came into the light and there was a long storage area with armed men walking back in forth some following orders, other giving them. They noticed Niko and they all stopped and saluted him. Niko nodded to them and they went back to work. Niko walked through and he found the man he needed to talk to.

"Viktor" Niko said

Viktor looked up from a file and he chuckled "Niko" he said smiling

They met and gave each other a hug. "It has been a while my friend" Viktor said in a husky Russian accent

"I know, I've been busy" Niko said smiling

"Now what is it that you need?"

"I was told that the final stage was completed"

"Da, you can use it later tonight"

"I look forward to it"

"Anything else?"

"Yes, tell my team that we move out tonight and then two days from now, we take something that belong to us"

"Yes, sir." Viktor said

Niko walked away and he smiled and he made his way to his quarters.

_**Clint**_

Clint was up in his room or 'Nest'. He had a duffle bag with his things in it. He got a text on his phone.

_You're Late- Morse_

Clint chuckled and he answered.

_Deal with it- Clint_

_I'm losing my patience with you Barton- Morse_

_Already, I had so many things to annoy you with. Ah you're going to make me cry, suck it up agent. – Clint_

_I'm already regretting this- Morse_

_Hey you're stuck with me- Clint _

Clint put his phone away and he chuckled; he was late on purpose. He just wanted to make her mad. He walked past the kitchen and he saw Steve and Nat again. Clint couldn't help but laugh. He went down to the garage again and he got in his car and he drove out onto the street. Clint like New York in the morning, there was actually not a lot of people out.

Clint headed to the airport and he started to think about Niko. How dangerous was this guy? Clint wouldn't know until they found him. He hit a bump in the road with Morse. Yet Fury did say their personalities would hit each other. Clint had a hard time trusting people, then the whole Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D thing happened and he really doesn't trust anyone now. Sure he trusted Natasha, Steve, and everyone else, but Fury lost his a little bit. Clint didn't know if he could ever trust Fury completely again. Maybe he can, and he just didn't want to. Clint was now doing something to help Fury. Great, right? He was hoping it wouldn't be a shit storm, but usually it always turned into one. But Natasha was involved and Clint knew that if it involved her, even if it was in a small way it was important.

Clint stopped at a red light and he patiently waited for the light to change colors. He wanted to trust people, but they never gave him very good reasons for him to want to trust them. Clint knew he was being cynical and maybe a little biased, but he was never going to second guess his instincts again. He was going to help, but by his rules. He needed to be able to do things himself, he was sure he was doing things himself with S.H.I.E.L.D, but that was thrown into the wind when Hydra crawled out of it. Yet he needed Morse to trust him to be able to get it done. But with her in a constant interrogation mode made it difficult. She always second guessed anyone, to see if there was an alternative motive. He would have praised that a few years ago, but now he wasn't so sure.

Clint made it to the airport and he saw a Quinjet and he smiled. He had to admit, it was nice to see one of those again. He parked his car and he climbed out of it and he grabbed his bag and walked toward it. The ramp opened and Morse walked out. She was in a suit similar to Natasha's, but it had blue on the chest and lower abdomen. Clint was in jeans and a white shirt with a black leather jacket on. He saw a smirk cross her face.

"I see, you met me here" Clint said not returning a smirk or any other kind gesture.

"Well it seems, you're going to be late every time we call for you. What was it supposed to do, piss me off?"

"Did it?" Clint asked walking into the Quinjet passing her.

Morse frowned and she slightly flared her nostrils and she looked back at him.

_A little._

Clint placed his bag down on the floor near the cock pit and he turned back to her.

"We going on mission so soon? No introduction to the helicarrier?"

"We found a lead about Niko's movements"

"How?"

"We had to go through some back channels, but we found it. Something is going to happen in the next couple days and we want to stop it"

"Ok, then we'll stop it" Clint said taking a seat

"You seem pretty confident"

"Have to be" Clint said calmly and he took his sunglasses off.

"You ready to go meet Niko?" Morse asked

"Where is the little rascal?"

"He would be above Austria right about now"

"What is it with Austria?"

"I don't follow"

"First Cap goes there, then he goes back there and with Natasha and they destroy a base, then it gets blown to bits, and now we're going back to Austria"

"I think you're over thinking it"

"Or there is something in Austria that no one knows about"

"Careful Barton, you're starting to sound a like a conspiracy theorist"

"It come with the job description" Clint said

Morse smiled and chuckled, Clint laughed lightly to and he stopped, that was the first time he ever saw her smile. He quickly casted the thought from his mind.

"So, when will this mission start?"

"We'll be in Austria in a few hours" Morse said taking a seat on the other side of the Quinjet across from Clint.

"I'll have to change on the way" Clint said

"Then you should do it now"

"Are you just wanting me to take off my shirt?" Clint asked teasingly

"What? No" Morse said quickly

"Well, I'm going to have to, this isn't a clothing store with changing areas"

"Well if you're shy…"

"I'm not shy" Clint said with a smirk

Morse was caught off guard by Clint's response and she lightly smirked and she nodded. She stood up and walked toward the cock pit and she sat down next to the pilot. Clint exhaled and he grabbed his bag and he unzipped it and he pulled out his suit. He took his shirt off and he moved slowly so he wouldn't make his scar tug. He slipped out of his pats and he put his suit on.

Morse couldn't help but take a peek. She turned her head and glanced at Clint as he took off his shirt. Morse was surprised to see the amount of scars he had. She saw a side view of his abs and she felt a little lightheaded. She didn't know why, she looked away and acted like she was doing something.

Clint zipped up his long sleeved jacket. He had his finger guard and his forearm guard on as well. He pulled his bow out of the bag and he flicked it forward and the bow snapped open. He grabbed his quiver and he placed it on his back and he reached back and pulled out an arrow and quickly put it on the bow. He aimed with the string bent all the way back, then he slowly let it go back down. He grabbed the arrow and placed it back where it belonged. He just needed to test it to see if he could reach hi arrows without any difficulty. He sat down and he noticed Morse was glancing at him. He dismissed it and he sat quietly and he waited for the ride to be over.

_**Location: S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, seven miles above D.C.**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky was in the maintenance area and he had his face against the wall. He could feel the cold metal on his face. He slowly got used to it, or his ace just got numb. He focused and he made all sounds fade away. He listened and he could hear muffled voices. He recognized one of them as Fury. The other he didn't know.

"I understand your concern" Fury said

"I don't think you do" the unknown voice said

"Calm down"

Bucky knew the new voice that came into his hearing, it was Hill. Who were they talking to?

"Agent Hill, do you need a valuation?" the voice said as a threat.

"Morse back off" Fury said his voice full of authority

Who was Morse? Bucky made a mental note and he continued to listen.

"Nick, all I'm saying is you have a mole"

"It wouldn't be the first time" Fury said

"We need to find out who it is" Morse said

"Morse focus on your mission at hand" Fury said

"Yes sir, but you be careful who you let know things"

"Copy that" Fury said

A long silence followed and there wasn't any noise. Bucky guessed that it was a video chat, then Fury spoke again.

"Hill, run a re-check on everyone"

"You think we actually have a mole?" Hill asked

"It's possible, how else would Niko just so happen to know out every move?"

"I see your point"

"Hill?" Fury asked his voice sounding cautious.

"What is it sir?"

"How is Barnes doing, any psyche breaks?"

"He has memory lapses" Hill said

"Nothing too serious, Romanoff has those to"

"Is it a side effect to the brain washing?"

"Yeah, and so far it never stops"

"So it's a permanent side effect?"

"Yeah"

"I will say, it's beginning to take its toll on him"

Bucky had to agree with that, the episodes of seeing flashes of memories were becoming almost too much.

"It bothered Natasha for a while to"

"When did it stop?"

"It never has, she's just had to live with it"

"So what, numb yourself to the memories?"

"That or you try to live with them"

"Which one did Romanoff choose?"

"I don't know, sometimes it seems like she numbs herself to them and other times she lives with it. She has tried very hard to escape her past"

Bucky took his face away from the cold metal. He inhaled and he turned around and he closed his eyes. Hill gave him a good lecture after that stunt in the training room. Bucky rubbed his eyes and he exhaled. Bucky looked up at the ceiling and he felt his eyes start to water. He slid down the wall and sat down. His breathing became shaky and he felt tears fall down his face. He wiped them off as quickly as they appeared. He inhaled deeply and pushed his feelings aside and he started to breathe normally. He opened his eyes and he was back to being the Winter Soldier, not Bucky. He felt nothing, he was floating in a pool of emotions and felt none of them. Sometimes this way was easier.

Bucky exhaled and he stood up and he walked out of the maintenance area. He made his way to his quarters. He rounded the corner and he ran into someone.

"Oh sorry" Bucky said sounding like his 1940's self.

"God Barnes, you need to watch it" Hill said

"I've got a lot on my mind" Bucky said

"So things do happen in there" Hill said teasingly

Bucky smiled and chuckled "Yeah"

"Listen Barnes, down in the engines I just wanted to say sorry"

"About what?"

"Our "moment'" she said looking at him

"So that's what we're calling it"

"Yeah"

"Did I do something wrong?" Bucky asked rubbing the back of his head

"No, it's just what happened, can never happen again."

"Oh, that bad huh" Bucky asked looking at her nervously

"What? No you were a good kisser" Hill said, she couldn't believe she was having this conversation; her heart was hammering in her chest.

"I get it, this is the workplace and we all know what happens to people who work together, and who get together"

"Right" Hill said smiling shyly

"Understandable" Bucky said trying to hide the fact that he was glancing at her breasts. The way she held her arms together made them look like they were going to pop out of her suit.

"Ok good talk" Hill said slightly uncomfortable and she walked past him.

Bucky chuckled and he caught a glimpse of her ass as she walked away. Bucky felt his heart begin to dance and his mouth felt dry and his ears were warm.

"Oh boy"

**Author's Note: What do you guys think of the story so far? And where do you think it's going to go?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I just have to say that if it wasn't for LittleMermade, this story would have been sent to the incinerator.**

_**Niko**_

Niko walked into the cockpit and he studied the devices. He never truly learned how to fly, the only memory he had of flying was his father showing him how to fly a plane years ago, and at least he thought it was his father. It could have been an implanted memory. Niko made them pay for that, not he will destroy everything that Red Room ever built, and that meant Romanova and Barnes, then himself. Niko noticed that it was becoming dark over Austria. He put his hand on the pilot's shoulder.

"What is our status?"

"We will be in New York in a few hours"

"We're making good time" Niko said crossing his arms smirking.

Niko turned around and he walked into the cargo area, also where the team was. Niko walked into the dim area and he chuckled.

"Sir, our status?"

"We will be dining with the Avengers soon" Niko said

"Sir, do we have a plan?" one of the soldiers at the end asked

"Yes, and if you were at the briefings instead of getting lip from that doctor then you would know it" Niko said he smiled "We attack their Tower and we steal Romanova, simple"

"What about the Hulk sir?"

"We can deal with him" Niko said patting the soldier's shoulder

"What about Barnes?"

"Once we take Romanova, he will come"

"What of her partner, Captain America?"

"Captain America? Huh, I will deal with him"

"Yes sir"

"Now shut your mouths, and stay focused we don't need…" Niko was interrupted by a red light and an alarm.

Niko cursed under his breath and he walked into the cockpit "What is it?" he asked annoyed

"S.H.I.E.L.D Quinjet" the pilot said

"Their getting faster" Niko said "Shoot them down"

"Yes sir" the pilot said and he fired the main guns and bullets flew through the cold air and were heading toward the Quinjet.

_**Clint**_

Clint steadied himself with the help of the wall.

"Hold on" the pilot said and he grunted and made the Quinjet bank to the right, dodging the bullets.

Clint stumbled to the other side of the jet and he grabbed a handle.

"Well, I think we found Niko" Clint said

"No shit!" Morse said as the Quinjet banked again

Clint felt his stomach turn and he felt lightheaded. He hadn't gone through something like this in a while. He pushed the urge to vomit away and he slowly made his way to the cockpit. He grabbed the seat and he looked out of the main glass.

"Do you have a good look at them?" Clint asked

"Yeah"

"Then fire back" Clint ordered

Clint looked at Morse and she seemed pissed off. Her face reminded him of someone when they get angry with him. He felt the Quinjet jerk upward as two bullets tore into the metal. He looked back at the pilot, he was gritting his teeth and he was struggling to keep the jet from flying into the ground. He got the jet to pull up at the last second and Clint flew up into the air and hit the roof and then slammed into the floor. He felt the air run from his lungs and he struggled to breathe.

Morse slammed into the wall and she felt her shoulder get dislocated and she grunted as she was thrown into the other wall. Clint crawled toward her and he helped her up. He looked at her and he grabbed her arm. She looked at him and nodded. Clint moved his hand up her arm and then he put her shoulder back it. Morse grunted in pain and she mouthed a curse. Clint stood next to the pilot.

"Sir, their firing" the pilot said

Clint saw the other ship fire and the bullets were headed toward them. Clint dove out of the way as the bullets busted through the glass and went into the pilot. The pilot let his hands fall away from the controls and the Quinjet dipped in the air and the noise of rushing wind filled Clint's ears. Clint moved as fast as he could and he pulled the pilot out of the seat and he took his place. Clint strapped himself in and he grabbed the controls.

"This is going to get rough" Clint said

Clint shifted the Quinjet and it banked and flew past the other ship. Clint maneuvered up and flipped around and fired at the ship grazing its hull with the gun. Clint lightly chuckled nervously as he did a barrel roll and he steadied the Quinjet out.

"That was fun" Clint said under his breath

Bullets flew past them and Clint moved the Quinjet down and he banked to the left and shot back out of the other ship's view. Clint got behind them and fired the main guns and fired a rocket. The bullets dented the other ship's hull and the rocket flew after it. The ship turned to the right and dodged the rocket as it barely missed it. Clint grunted and fired again, this time he punctured the hull.

"Sir, he's hit!" one of Niko's men yelled

"Forget him" Niko said and he looked at the pilot.

"I said shoot the damn thing down"

'Sorry sir, whoever is flying that Quinjet is an expert."

Niko was silent for a few seconds then he smirked at who was flying it, he knew who it was.

"I see agent Barton is on our trail. I should have calculated that Fury would get him involved"

"Sir?"

"Just shot them down, if it takes an hour it takes an hour"

"Yes sir"

Clint fired the guns again and the bullets tore through the other ships hull.

"Give them out little surprise" Niko ordered

"It's still a prototype sir"

"I don't care, fire it"

The pilot looked at Niko questionably and he nodded and he flipped a few switches and he pressed a red button. The ship opened on the bottom and a large rocket flew out and shot towards the Quinjet.

Clint could see a missile coming toward them.

"Uh, Morse I would strap yourself in"

"What is it?"

"A really big missile" Clint said noticing that it was three times as big as a regular missile.

Clint quickly flicked a few switches and he put the engines into afterburner. The Quinjet shot forward and the missile was following and it was keeping up. Clint looked at the scanner and he could see the rocket getting closer and closer. He gritted his teeth and he pushed the Quinjet to its limits. He quickly turned the Quinjet toward Niko's ship.

"Let's see if you can do the same" Clint said through a grunt

The Quinjet banked to the right then to the left and it was just enough to keep the missile from hitting them. Clint aimed the Quinjet directly at Niko's ship. He was playing chicken, and with the added bonus of a huge freaking missile wanting to give out the prize.

Niko noticed that the Quinjet was flying directly at them. He grabbed the controls and moved the ship to the right and the great protest from the pilot, Niko grabbed him by the throat and snapped his neck and tossed him out of the chair with one arm. Niko sat down in the chair and he strapped himself in and he brought the ship back towards the Quinjet.

"You want to play, let's play" Niko said firing all his missiles.

Clint frowned when a large light came from the ship in front of them. Clint cursed and he looked back at Morse.

"Hey you got family?" Clint asked

Morse looked at him "No, do you?"

"Yeah" Clint said

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think we're making it out of this thing alive."

Clint looked back at the other ship and he fired the main gun and he destroyed some of the missiles. Clint looked at the scanner and he saw the bonus missile going in for the kill. Clint braced himself for the explosion that would be their death and the missile hit the Quinjet with a loud clunk and it fell away. Clint frowned then the Quinjet jerked and the power levels fluctuated.

"No good" Clint said and the Quinjet's controls shot forward and made the nose go down.

Clint used all of his strength and he made the nose rise and then he was about to his the other ship. Clint knew they were going to go down.

"If, we're going down, you're going down with us" Clint said and he angled the wings just right and they missed the main body but their wings clipped each other and they flew off.

Niko cursed and he saw the Quinjet fly past them, he growled and he turned the ship in their direction with the only wing left. Niko was going to survive and he wanted their heads on a pike. He saw the Quinjet crash and Niko deliberately made the nose go down and he cut the elevators.

He stood up and he walked into the cargo area and two of his men were still alive.

"Get in there and save the ship" Niko ordered

The two soldiers nodded and they ran past him and Niko chuckled and he grabbed a parachute. Niko walked to the very end and opened the back ramp. The air was howling and it was cold. Niko strapped the chute to him and he ran jumped out of the ship.

The two soldiers were in the cockpit and they couldn't stop the ship from crashing.

"The elevators aren't working"

"Elevators?"

"I can't raise the nose!" the one yelled as the ship smashed into the earth.

Niko watched as it sent dirt and fire into the sky and he saw that his aim was good, the Quinjet was not far away. He landed and he quickly took the chute off and he began to walk toward the Quinjet's crash site.

Clint opened his eyes and he put his hand to his head, his ears were ringing. He groaned and he looked back and the back half of the Quinjet was gone. Morse was still there she was rather limp in her seat. Clint unstrapped himself and he slowly stood up. He felt a slight pain in his head. Clint felt like he did when Natasha hit him in the head two years ago. He stumbled over to Morse and he lifted her head.

Clint put his fingers on her throat and checked for a pulse. He was filled with relief when he found it. He took off her straps and he grabbed her arm and put it around his shoulder and he grabbed her by the waist and supported her up and he started to walk. He wasn't injured too seriously, but he can't see his organs, maybe he had a large piece of metal sticking out of his leg and because of the adrenaline, he can't feel it yet.

Clint pushed the worried thoughts away, he needed to get out of the Quinjet. He found the side hatch and he set Morse down and he pushed the hatch open. He walked back over to Morse and pulled her up and lifted her up into the hatch. He pushed her through and he heard her fall and hit the ground. Clint grunted _I'll pay for that later._

Clint pulled himself up and he tumbled out and he landed on his back. He was lying in the dirt and fire was around in certain places. The moon light helped him the most, it was a clear night and he could see a good distance in front of him. Clint pulled Morse up and he slid her across the ground and he placed her up against the hull of the Quinjet. Clint sniffed and he rubbed his face. He heard a twig snap then two hands grabbed his shoulders and he was thrown across the ground and he rolled and hit a tree. Clint coughed and he slowly stood up, using the tree for support. Clint could see Niko standing ten feet away. Clint took a step forward.

"So you lived" Niko said

"I'm hard to kill" Clint said putting his hands up ready for a fight

"Let's test that" Niko said and he ran forward.

Clint could hear the twigs snapping under Niko's boots and he ran at him. Niko raised his fist and Clint slid. Niko missed the punch and Clint slid under his arm and he came back up and kicked Niko in the back. Niko stumbled forward and he growled and came back around and threw a punch. Clint stopped his arm and jabbed Niko in the face. Niko threw two quick punches and caught Clint in the gut. Clint felt the air escape from his lungs and he groaned. Niko kneed him in the face, sending him back and he landed on the ground.

Niko walked forward and he grabbed Clint and threw him into the Quinjet's hull. Clint hit the ground and he could taste blood in his mouth. He slowly pushed himself back up and then a fist hit him in the jaw. Clint stumbled and hit the ground. He saw Niko, or three of him. The three Nikos walked forward and merged into one as he grabbed him and threw him across the ground. Clint landed and he rolled and quickly recovered. Clint turned ready, but Niko was already there and a boot hit Clint in the chest. Clint flew back and hit a tree.

Clint blinked and he looked at Niko and he groaned. Niko walked forward.

"Now you die" Niko said and he picked him up and he held him in the air.

Clint looked up into the sky and he could see the bright moon and he closed his eyes. Clint inhaled and he felt his ribs bother him. Clint opened his eyes and he kicked Niko in the ribs, causing Niko to drop him. Niko growled in anger and he grabbed Clint by the ankle and he pulled him forward. Clint slid on his back and as he came closer to Niko, he hit him in the face. Niko chuckled and he hit Clint again. Clint felt blood fly out of his mouth. He looked up at Niko who had Clint's blood on his knuckles. Niko licked his knuckles and smiled. Clint frowned at him and then a knife went through Niko's gut. Niko yelled in pain and he swiped back and hit Morse and he pulled out the knife.

Clint used the opened and he quickly got up and grabbed Niko's arm and snapped it and kicked Niko away. Niko fell to the ground and he got up and he was holding his broken arm. Niko could see the bone sticking out and he chuckled softly and he took his good hand and slammed the bone back into the skin. A loud snap followed by a laugh. He twisted his arm and the bone popped back into place.

"Is that all you got?" Niko asked

Clint ran toward the Quinjet's cockpit from the outside. The glass was broken and Clint grabbed his bow and an arrow. He aimed at Niko, Niko put his hands up and his nose was bleeding and he smiled.

"We stopped you" Clint said

"Only a setback" Niko said chuckling

"It's only a setback if you live" Clint said and he fired the arrow.

Niko caught the arrow before it hit his eye. Niko chuckled and he tossed the arrow away.

"I'll let you live, but only so you can see the next part" Niko said and he walked away

Clint saw him disappear and dropped his bow and he started to breathe heavily. Clint walked over and sat down next to Morse. Morse looked at him.

"That could have gone better"

Clint looked at her and he nodded and he chuckled slightly.

"So, you got a way out of here?" Clint said slightly grimacing in pain as his scar tugged.

"I got a hold of Fury"

"Well, he's going to be pissed"

"He already is"

"He's a big boy, he'll get over it"

"So what family do you got?" Morse asked

Clint was quiet for a long time and he smirked.

"The team of course" Clint said

Morse nodded and she looked away and studied the ground.

Clint glanced at her and he exhaled.

_Only if they knew._


	12. Chapter 12

The Tower had gotten quite busy in the past month. It was four days till Christmas. Tony had already gone a little crazy with the decorations, he had Pepper's help of course. Tony had gotten a hug tree and had it placed in the living room, it almost touched the ceiling. Clint had been taking it easy lately, since the last mission he did ended with bruised ribs and a cracked collar bone, he had officially been staying in his 'Nest'. They actually haven't seen him for some time.

Steve actually got Natasha to become an expert in making breakfast. He taught her all he knew and now she made breakfast in the mornings instead of him. He offered to have a rotation, but Natasha declined and she said she liked cooking. When she said this it was in the evening and Tony who couldn't resist threw a tease at them "Don't tell me he's making you soft red"

That ended with Tony escaping to his lab, but only after a coffee mug hit him in the face. He came out the next afternoon with a dark purple bruise on the side of his face. Every time Natasha saw it she smirked. Steve had to admit, it was amusing. Maybe Tony would learn one day, but most likely no. Jane was in the tower as well, but she spent most of her time talking to Thor, who by fact just told her things about the cosmic, which he somehow always made it sound interesting.

Steve caught himself listening whenever he passed them. Steve was enjoying the whole family thing. Even though sometimes, they could barely stand each other. Bruce was spending most of his time drinking tea and meditating, Steve guessed with all the exciting tension in the tower made him nervous. Steve tried to talk to him a few times, but he always seemed distracted by something.

Steve wondered what Bucky was doing, he had to guess nothing. Bucky hadn't always been the most cheerful of people to be around at Christmas. Steve knew why, but even if Bucky couldn't remember why, he knew. Steve had been trying to pick a day to go see his friend, but every time Bucky was either busy, or Steve was caught up in his own problems. Steve had been stressing on buying Natasha something for Christmas. Yet he never knew what to buy her. Steve walked past a jewelry store a week ago and he saw these ear rings that Natasha would look good in. If she ever wore any, unless she was supposed to on mission. Otherwise nothing, Steve had been trying to break her out of her shell. It was hard work, but he knew he was making progress, when she wants to go out and do something, he knew he had something to do with it. Steve thought about going to that jewelry store and getting her those ear rings, if they were still available.

One thing that Steve knew that made Natasha happy was that no one knew they were together. She likes her privacy and they had gotten good at hiding it to. Steve just acted like himself, and Natasha tried her best not to corner him and start a make out session. Even though Steve wouldn't have complained, but they both agreed to keep their relationship a secret. Steve had to admit, it was actually exciting to be keeping it a secret from everyone, and Tony's theories were getting weirder as time went on. He seemed to be holding onto the Romanogers; that's what he called them, a little too tightly. Steve was surprised to actually want to hear a theory, then it would be crushed when he went off and told a theory of how Steve and Natasha weren't together and since Steve would disappear at random at night, that he went to gay bars.

Steve always wanted to kill him whenever he brought up the possibility of him being gay. Steve knew that Tony only did it to get a reaction out of him, it worked most of the time. Steve was prepared to go back to his apartment for two days and take a break from the wild theories and the crazy tension slowly building in the Tower.

Steve had now had a full beard, he kept it trimmed, but he looked rather different, it helped him go out in public more. He talked to Natasha about wanting to go to his apartment for two days and asked if he could go alone, she reluctantly agreed. Only after Steve told her to hang out with Pepper or something. Steve had spent the day trying to say goodbye to everyone and the only person he couldn't find was Clint.

"Hey Bruce, where is Clint?" Steve asked walking into the living room after a good hour looking for Clint.

"Up in his 'Nest'" Bruce said

"How do you get to his room?"

"Beats me, ask Jarvis"

Why didn't Steve think of that in the first place? Steve walked into the hallway and he leaned against the wall.

"Hey Jarvis"

"What can I do for you Mr. Rogers?" Jarvis asked

"Can you tell me where Clint's room is?"

"It is in the highest part of the Tower"

"How do I get to it?"

"Look up Sir"

Steve looked up and he noticed a long tunnel up with ledges that he never noticed before.

"Thanks" Steve said still amazed

"My pleasure sir"

Steve jumped up and he grabbed one of the ledges. He pulled himself up, and he jumped to the next one. Clint had to do this every time he wanted to go to his room, Steve now understood why he didn't come down. Steve found the hatch and he opened it and he heard Clint's voice, he was talking to someone. Steve didn't want to intrude, but he had to say good bye to him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I have to miss another Christmas" Clint said

"Tell them I love them, and that I will see them soon"

"I love you to, and please take it easy. I don't need you to have to be rushed to the hospital. Yes thank you, love you to"

Steve wondered who he was talking to and he lightly knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Clint asked surprised

"It's Steve"

"Cap, what are you doing up here?"

"Just coming to say good bye, I'm leaving for two days"

"You're buying Natasha something aren't you?"

"Uh… how'd you know?"

"Good guess, well good luck, you're going to need it"

"Thanks, and Clint?"

"Yeah Cap?"

"Nice room"

Clint chuckled "Thanks, see you on Christmas Eve"

"Yeah you to"

_**Location: S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier, seven miles above D.C**_

_**Agent: James 'Bucky' Barnes**_

Bucky was sitting at his desk and he had papers all over the place, He had spent the past month looking for Niko. He couldn't find him though, apparently Morse and Barton fought him. He got away and then he went dark. Bucky knew he would strike again, but he didn't know when. Bucky had become frustrated enough having to read file upon file, he was literally drowning in paper. Bucky put the paper in his hand down on the desk and he rubbed his eyes and he yawned. He needed a break, Bucky leaned back in his chair and he closed his eyes and he yawned again. Bucky breathed in and out slowly. He slowed his heat beat and he tried to think about nothing.

Bucky could smell the awful, but great smell of New York. The warmth of the summer and then the cold of the winter. Bucky lightly chuckled and he heard a knock on his door, he opened his eyes and the memory went away. Bucky sat up and he looked back at the door. He stood up and he tip toed around the papers.

Bucky reached his door and he opened it, the door slid away and Hill was standing in front of him. Bucky was slightly surprised to see her, he always was when she came to his door. He always expected Fury. Hill lightly smiled and greeted him.

"Hey Barnes" she said

"Hey" Bucky said plainly

"Can I come in?" she asked

Bucky looked around behind him and he could see the only clear area was around his bed. He didn't want to be uncivil so he invited her in.

"Yeah sure come in"

Bucky side stepped and he got out of her way. Hill walked into the room and she saw the huge pile of papers everywhere. She smirked, his room looked a lot like hers at the moment.

"I hope you didn't come for a change of scenery?" Bucky said closing the door.

The room was dark and Bucky slightly cursed and he flipped one of the switches and the room became dimly lit.

"You like the dark don't you?" Hill asked kindly

"I guess, or I just like the fact of the constant mood" Bucky said jokingly

Hill chuckled lightly and she stood completely straight, perfect posture.

"The only clear space is around the bed" Bucky said

"Oh, that's one way to get a girl on your bed" she said teasingly

Bucky smirked "I don't need help getting a girl on my bed"

"Oh, so you have moves?"

"Back in the forties I did, I'm sure none of them would work now"

Hill sat down on the edge of his bed and she became slightly more relaxed. She could see Bucky, but it was very poorly lit and it was more of a silhouette. She could see the broadness of his shoulders and the chiseled abdomen. She snapped out of it and she looked back at his face.

"Well, maybe you should learn some new material"

"Yeah, I don't think this would help" Bucky said lifting his metal arm up and looking at it.

"Wear long sleeves"

Bucky chuckled and smiled at her "You know someone told me that once"

"I'm just saying it could help"

"It might" Bucky said walking over and taking a seat next to her, but an appropriate distance away.

Hill looked at him and she kept asking herself why she always put herself into these situations, her and Barnes alone, not to mention in a dark room.

"So what's up?" Bucky asked

"Nothing really, I just needed a break from all the paper work" Hill said tiredly

"I was about to take one before you knocked"

"Sorry if I ruined it"

"Nay, so what was your plan?"

"Ok, don't take this the wrong way"

"Why would I take it the wrong way?"

"You haven't heard it yet"

"I'm all ears"

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a drink"

"A drink, so Hill is this a date?" Bucky asked teasingly

Hill slightly opened her mouth "No, you took it the wrong way" Hill said putting her head in her hands.

"I'm just teasing, sure a drink, I need to get out anyhow"

"Ok"

"Well, you're leading, because all the drinking places I remember are either closed or a weird looking club thing."

Hill chuckled and she looked at him and she stared at his eyes. She blinked _damn._

Bucky followed Hill and before he knew it they were walking around in the streets of Washington D.C. Bucky followed the advice of two women and he wore long sleeves with gloves, he was lucky it was winter. Bucky had never seen Hill in normal clothes. She had he hair down to and she was wearing red lipstick. She had a wool coat that Bucky has to admit, she looked stunning in. Bucky wasn't updated on modern dating, but this seemed like a date, just by what she was wearing, then again this could be the only time she could go out so she wanted to look nice. In Bucky's opinion, she didn't need the makeup. He did like her hair though, and he wished she wore it like that more often, then again not exactly the kind of hair you want on mission. It was his hair color and it came down to her shoulders.

Bucky had a hard time not staring, then again who wouldn't? Bucky followed her into a bar and Bucky stood waiting for her to find a table. He looked out of place, but he hid it better than Steve would. Bucky sat across from her and he ordered a vodka. He wasn't hungry or thirsty, but he wasn't going to pass up alcohol.

The night went rather smoothly. Bucky had complained that it wasn't Russian vodka.

"Well Russian vodka is illegal in the U.S."

"Really, why?"

"I think it has to do with something of how the percent of the alcohol is higher than is allowed here, then again I'm not sure."

"I guess, I'll live with it" Bucky said

Hill was actually fun to be with, which somehow surprised Bucky. He guessed that he always saw her as the fancy restaurant type. Bucky didn't like that scene too much, he would much rather go to a diner. He was relieved when he learned diners still existed. Bucky couldn't help but stare every time she smiled. Bucky shifted a little uncomfortably.

Bucky felt his ears go warm when he saw her slightly move her arm and eh breasts came together and they looked like they were going to burst out of her grey sweater. She was wearing a very nice sweater and Bucky had the thought of ripping it off of her. He blinked and he looked back at her face. He saw her smile and he felt his throat become dry. He felt oddly warm. He wasn't helping himself.

Hill leaned forward slightly and her breasts touched the table and Bucky inhaled and he could smell a brown sugar perfume. His heighten senses weren't helping him. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest and it was in his ears. Hill seemed not to be noticing, well it could be the fact that Bucky was hiding his emotions. He wanted to take her home and spend the night with her, but the only home he had was the helicarrier. Bucky exhaled softly and he could feel his erection pressing against his pants. He was having a hard time. She just looked so beautiful. Bucky started to breathe shakily.

Hill noticed that something was wrong "You ok?" she asked

Bucky smiled and he was yelling at himself for the situation he had put himself in.

"Yeah, just a little warm"

"You're over heated?"

"I guess" Bucky said uncomfortably, he needed to get himself out of this.

"Well, it is midnight, we can leave if you want"

"Can we?" Bucky asked

Hill nodded and she stood up and grabbed her coat and she paid for the drinks and she put her coat on and walked toward the exit. Bucky followed her and he wished he was ahead. He had a perfect view of her ass. Bucky exhaled ruggedly, the cold air helped him a little. Bucky decided to stare anywhere but right at her. He needed to stop his feelings. Bucky closed his eyes and he inhaled slowly and a memory flashed before him and he felt a painful pulse in his head.

He could see a house on fire and he was about eight years old and he was running toward it.

Bucky came back to the reality and he was on the sidewalk with Hill helping him.

"You ok?"

"No" Bucky said through gritted teeth

"Come on, my apartment isn't far from here" she said

Bucky would have declined, but his head was throbbing, so he nodded.

Bucky had spent the night with Hill, but in the way he really didn't want to, but his head stopped all those thoughts. He slept on her couch and he was now back in the helicarrier and he was staring at a file again. He rubbed his eyes and he exhaled.

_This is a lot harder than I thought it would be._

_**Steve**_

Steve had returned to the Tower after his two day break. He bought Natasha those ear rings and he was going to give them to her in the morning; which was Christmas morning. He just hoped she liked them. That night ended with a drinking contest between Tony, Clint, and Thor. Steve stayed out of it. There was this funny reason, of he can't get drunk that Tony said he couldn't be part of it. Steve was fine with that though, that just gave him time to be with Natasha. The night ended with Thor sitting victorious, Clint gave up so he wasn't completely hammered in the morning. Tony went till he passed out. Thor could barely stand.

Pepper came home and she asked what the hell happened. Thor was the only one to reply.

"He challenged me to a drinking contest and he made his ancestors proud" Thor said trying to pat Tony's shoulder, but he missed and hit nothing but air. Thor looked and it turned out Tony was across from him, Thor rubbed his eyes. "It would seem, I am seeing two of everything" Thor said

Steve and Jane helped Thor get to his room and Natasha helped Clint to the couch. Steve came back and carried Tony to his and Pepper's room. Steve, Natasha, and Bruce were the only ones left standing. Bruce stood up and he smiled them.

"Good night, see you in the morning"

"Don't spend all the time in the lab" Natasha teased

Bruce looked at her and smirked.

Steve and Natasha passed out in Steve's bed and Steve had Jarvis lock down his room.

Steve opened his eyes and the sun was up and he looked at the clock: 7:38 am. He didn't have much time. Steve found Natasha resting her head on his shoulder and he did his best to slip away. He laid her head on the pillow where his head was so she was lying on something cold. Steve rushed to his dresser and he grabbed the case with the ear rings in them. He went back to the bed and he laid back down and he laid on his side so he was face to face to Natasha. Steve looked at the clock: 7:39 am. He smiled at himself impressed. He waited for the beautiful woman in his bed to open her eyes.

Natasha stirred and opened her eyes slowly and Steve was smiling at her. That's what he was waiting for, he had to look at those emerald eyes before he did anything in the morning.

"Morning beautiful" Steve said

Natasha smiled and she looked down at Steve's hand and he was holding a case.

"Steve?" Natasha asked questionably

"It's not a ring"

Natasha felt a rush of relief and she looked at the box slyly. "What is it?"

"Open it and find out" Steve said smiling, hoping to God that she liked them.

Natasha opened the case and she saw two ear rings and they looked beautiful and they actually looked like they would match her. Natasha's mouth fell open in shock.

"When did you?"

"My two day break" Steve said smiling

"How much?"

"Free, but they would have been twenty thousand if the woman didn't noticed that I was Captain America"

"For free"

"I was going to pay, but apparently I saved her store in the battle of New York and she said it was the least she could do for a young man like me"

"Wow"

"So you like them?"

"Like them? No, I love them" Natasha said smiling and she kissed him. Steve smiled through the kiss and he kissed her back.

"Merry Christmas babe"

"You know what this means?" Natasha asked

"No, what?"

"I have to reward you somehow" Natasha said taking the case and putting it on her night stand.

"You didn't get me anything?"

"Oh I did, but to let you see it, I have to give you something"

"My reward?" Steve asked still a little confused

Steve felt her hand grab him and he was startled by it then he smiled at her.

"So that's my reward" Steve said smiling

"I also bought some sexy lingerie"

"Oh you got me two things"

"You want to see them?"

"Later" Steve said and he put his arm around her and he kissed her and she smiled and laughed.

End of Act 2


	13. Chapter 13: Act 3

_**Niko**_

Niko was sitting in the back of a white van. He had four other men with him and he was checking a rifle. He looked at everyone and he saw nothing but fear on their faces. Not fear of their targets, but fear of him. Niko knew that feeling all too well. He could remember the torture, the fever, the pain. He was driven mad in Red Room. He never truly made it out, a part of him was still in the place, darkness. Niko knew what he had to do, it was either finish it, or be haunted for the rest of his life. He had spent years planning this. He had someone in the Helicarrier and someone if every branch of government.

He was going to put all of them into the ground. Starting with Fury. Niko just needed one piece of the puzzle that would help him accomplish his goal, Natasha. Niko needed her and he needed Barnes. It was down to them, the last original three of Red Room. Red Room needed to burn, and that meant all of them, even himself. He was prepared to die, he already died. His soul was just waiting for him in hell. Niko cocked his gun and it made the other slightly jump. Niko looked at all of them.

"You know the plan, whatever happens. We get Romanova" Niko said

The four men nodded and they pulled down masks and they loaded their rifles. Niko stood up and kicked the doors of the van open and he walked out into the snow filled air. He felt the cold air on his cheeks and he smirked. He pulled down his mask and he felt the fabric keep him warm. They walked toward the Tower's front door. Niko knew that they would know that they were coming, he would have it no other way.

_**Bucky**_

Bucky was sitting at his desk and he was reading the fine print of a file. He looked at it more closely and he noticed that it sounded familiar. Bucky frowned and he tossed the file back, he had already read that one. Bucky needed a break, he stood up and he carefully walked out of his room. He walked down the hallways and he decided to go look for Hill. Bucky went to her quarters first and he knocked on her door. He waited patiently, but no one opened the door, ok she wasn't there. Bucky walked up to the bridge and he looked around.

He could see Fury, but Hill was nowhere in sight. He walked out, not wanting to be seen by Fury. He remembered the engines and he went to the elevator. He went to the door and he waited for the door to open. The metal doors slid open and Bucky walked in.

"Whoa!" Bucky heard a voice yell and he looked back to see the kid again.

"Oh, it's you" Bucky said

"Well, you know I'm just going to get out of your hair" Peter said and he walked out of the elevator and he continued walking. Bucky shook his head at the kid. Bucky felt the elevator move down and he waited patiently for the door to reopen.

Bucky felt the elevator stop and the doors opened. Bucky walked out and he was in the dim lit engine room. He walked forward and he went to round the corner where he found Hill the last time. He bumped into Hansen.

"Whoa, watch it" Hansen said

"Hansen? Have you seen Hill?" Bucky asked

Hansen stopped and he thought for a second.

"Uh, no, why?" Hansen asked

"Well, she is my partner" Bucky said

"Yeah she's your partner. So she's not anything else?" Hansen asked

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked puzzled

"Come on man, you're not tapping that ass?" Hansen asked

"Hey watch it" Bucky said not liking the wording of his sentence

"Watch what, dude, it's how we talk"

"No, it's how assholes talk" Bucky said

"Whatever man, take a chill pill" Hansen said starting to walk away.

Bucky stopped him by grabbed his shirt "Wait, what are you doing down here?"

Hansen gulped and he put his hands up in defense "Not important"

"It is important, you're down in the engines"

"Yeah, what are you doing down here?"

"Looking for Hill, I heard she comes down here sometimes"

"Yeah, I know" Hansen said

Bucky looked at him suspiciously "You know what?"

"That you would come looking for Hill, I planned that"

"Planned, wait you're the mole" Bucky said tightening his grip

"What can I say, I hate order, and chaos is always such more fun"

"What did you do?" Bucky asked

"Oh just, planted explosives and made it look like you did it"

"What?"

"Niko, wanted to put Fury in the ground, and with Fury busy hunting you. He wouldn't think about helping the Avengers" Hansen said and he hit Bucky with a stun stick. Bucky groaned and he let him go and fell to his knees and Hansen took off.

Bucky grunted and he stood back up and he went around the corner and he saw five sets of explosives. Bucky ran back and he ran to the elevator door and he pried it open. Bucky looked up and he could see the elevator moving. Bucky saw the cable in the middle and he jumped to it and he began to climb up. Bucky saw the timer on the bombs, he had two minutes. Bucky climbed as fast as he could. Bucky felt the rumble from the explosive from below and he saw fire spit out of the opened door. Bucky gasped and he saw a door in front of him and he swung forward as the fire shot upwards and Bucky let go of the cable and he kicked the metal door away and with the help of the shockwave sent it flying inward and Bucky slid across the floor as the fire traveled up.

Bucky coughed and he heard the alarm go off and the containment measures went off and water started to spit out of the ceiling. Bucky stood up and he was looking at the door. Bucky looked around and no one was in sight. Bucky heard mechanical buzzing and then a hole blew inward from the outside and Bucky saw ten soldiers come through, he noticed the spider insignia on their shoulders, and they were Niko's men.

Bucky heard a loud speaker and someone spoke "Attention, James Barnes is working with Niko Constantine. He has blown up the engines and has killed agent Hansen"

Bucky looked around and he saw the group of soldiers stand ready and salute him. Bucky looked up and he saw a camera. Bucky cursed under his breath, Niko did a fine job with that. Bucky ran at the soldiers and they aimed. Bucky slid across the wet floor. Bucky saw them fire and Bucky got up and rolled forward and they missed him. Bucky came up and he hit one in the gut with his metal arm, sending him flying across the hall. Bucky grabbed another's gun and disarmed him and fired at the rest, killing them.

Bucky felt the Helicarrier shift and then begin to go down and it made the hallway turn into a shaft. Bucky fell to the floor and began to slide down the wet floor. Bucky put his hand out and he caught the side of the wall and he held on. He hung in midair as he saw the dead soldier's bodies slide all the way down and smack into the wall, which was now the floor and water was beginning to fill up the hallway. Bucky grunted and a door opened and seven S.H.I.E.L.D agents aimed at him.

Bucky saw them and he knew they were going to fire and they aimed and Bucky let go and he fell down the hallway and landed in the water. Bucky was motionless for a few seconds then he could see bullets coming into the water and Bucky swam away and he went down the other hallway, which was completely submerged under water. Bucky swam as fast as he could to the other opening and could feel his arm burning and his lungs were running out of air. Bucky made it and he came out of the water and he took a deep inhale of air and he could feel his heart beating in his ears. Bucky pushed his hair back so he could see and he swam to the wall and he began to climb. He saw an open door and he pulled himself up and into it. He smacked into a wall and he looked around. He saw a familiar girl hanging onto a drilled in chair. Bucky stood up and he looked for a way up to get her. He saw a large table was on its side and he saw a large plate from the floor was hanging out as if a platform. Bucky nodded and he looked up at the familiar girl.

"Hold on" Bucky said

Bucky took in a breath and he ran and jumped onto the thin table on its side and ran across it balancing himself and then he jumped with as much power as he could and he caught the edge of the floor plate. Bucky pulled himself up and he had to jump across the large room to get her.

"Hey, you ok?" Bucky asked

"I've been better" the girl asked then a screw popped out of the chair as the Helicarrier jolted up and down. "Uh, anytime now" she said

Bucky closed his eyes and he calmed his mind and he opened them and he ran forward and he jumped and he flew across the room and he grabbed the arm rest of the chair and he hung there with her.

She looked at him "Uh, what was your plan for getting down?"

"Do you trust me?" Bucky asked

"Not really no"

"Ok good" Bucky said

"What?"

Bucky grabbed her and they both fell down toward the floor and Bucky turned in midair so he would hit the floor. They smacked into the metal floor that used to be the wall. Bucky groaned as he held her in his arms and she was breathing heavily.

"Oh my God, you ok?" she asked

"No, I'm good. I'm just going to need a minute" Bucky said struggling to breathe.

"It's not true is it? That you blew up the engines?" she asked

"No, it was Hansen" Bucky said

"Well, how do you plan on getting out of this one?'

"Oh, I thought maybe just walking out" Bucky said

They both chuckled then a gun fired and a bullet flew into the girls head and blood splattered over Bucky's face. He looked to his right and he saw Hansen smiling and he tossed the gun toward him and he jumped up and started to climb. Bucky pushed the dead girl off of him and he smacked his hand into the floor and he grabbed the gun and he walked toward the door where he last saw Hansen.

"Put the gun down!"

Bucky stopped and he exhaled, he didn't have time for this. He turned around to see Hill pointing her gun at him.

"He's getting away" Bucky said

"Who?"

"Hansen"

"You killed Hansen" Hill said keeping her gun on him

"What, no I didn't"

"It all makes sense. You are the mole" Hill said

"Hill, I'm not the mole Hansen is"

"Gun down!" Hill said cocking the gun

Bucky hesitated and he let the gun drop to the floor.

"Hill, we're partners" Bucky said

"No, I'm your babysitter, and I guess the memory lapses are fake and the moment down in the engines was as well. It was all just to get me distracted"

"Hill, this is crazy. I have been helping you"

"Then why is it that I see you with a gun and a dead girl over there?"

"Hansen shot her"

"Enough with Hansen Barnes!"

"Hill I did not do any of this" Bucky said looking around

"I knew having you here would be a mistake" Hill said

"Hill, listen to me, Niko is…"

"Niko, right. Of course your best buds, you trained him"

"Seventy years ago"

"It doesn't matter"

"Hill, you know me" Bucky said

"I thought I did"

"No, Hill I came here for help. I wanted to help"

"Yeah, you're a professional spy, you know how to hide and fake emotions"

"Hill, I never faked any emotions with you"

"How can I believe that?!" Hill yelled

"I don't know!" Bucky yelled back

"Barnes, you're done" Hill said firmly

"Hill, I…" Bucky started to say the he became silent. He exhaled and he looked at her.

"Maria, you are a remarkable woman" Bucky said

"Enough with the games Barnes"

"There was never any games" Bucky said taking a step forward

"Don't move!" Hill said

"Maria, everything that I told you is true. I do have memory lapses and I think you are beautiful" Bucky said almost wanting to shoot himself.

"It's all some trick" Hill said shaking her head

"Maria, you are remarkable, but I did not do this. You have to believe me, look at my eyes are they lying?" Bucky said

Hill stared at him and she could see a subtle pain in his eyes and genuine kindness in them.

"Maria, this is all Niko's plan. I have to stop him" Bucky said taking a few more steps forward

"How are you going to stop him?" Hill said slightly lowering her gun

"I'm going to find him and put me boot to his throat and I'm going to crush it" Bucky said and he put his hand out and he pushed her gun away.

Bucky stood in front of her, and he put his real hand on her face.

"You need to let me go"

"Fury, he'll hunt you" Hill said

"Yes, he will. I f that is how it has to be then fine" Bucky said

"But if you just explain your point to Fury"

"Fury doesn't give third chances" Bucky said

"After Niko, then what?"

"I don't know" Bucky said and he lightly smiled

"What if you can't stop Niko?"

"Then I will hunt him down till I corner him"

"You're going to need help" Hill said

"Convince Barton to help, he will" Bucky said

"You trust Barton?"

"Yes, and he will help, but Natasha must know what is going on"

"Fury said…"  
"It doesn't matter what Fury said"

"If you kill Niko, will you stay away?"

"Yes" Bucky said

Hill shuttered and she closed her eyes and a tear fell down her cheek.

"I don't want you to" Hill said

"But I have to, help out Stark more, Fury is good, but the Avengers need you more" Bucky said

Hill put her hand on Bucky's face and she kissed him. Bucky pulled her close and he accepted the kiss and he felt a rush and he was floating and everything stood still. He put his metal arm around her and he had his real hand on the side of her face and he felt his eyes begin to burn from tears. They broke apart and Bucky walked backwards and he looked at Hill the entire time and he jumped up and he climbed up the wall leaving Hill alone. Hill stood silently and she wiped the tears from her eyes and she inhaled and she put her mouth to her communicator.

"Barnes, is in the upper levels" she lied

**Author's Note: Hey guys thanks for reading, I would love some feedback, leave me a review.**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Bucky**_

Bucky could feel his right arm beginning to get tired, he grunted as he pulled himself forward and he quickly grabbed the next support with his metal hand and he let his right hand hang down. He breathed heavily and he felt the aching pain slowly dissipate. Bucky closed his eyes and he took in a deep breath, and he continued climbing. He could still smell the faint scent of Hill's perfume and he felt a sudden ache in his heart and he wished that he had stayed. He pushed the thought away and he knew that he had to stop Niko. He didn't know how, but he was going to find out how. Bucky knew that Natasha needed to know about the situation. He could use Steve's help. Though he doubted he would get it. He slowly climbed up and he cursed at how large the Helicarrier was. He saw a door and it was open and Bucky quickened his pace and he came to the edge and he put his real hand over the edge and he hung there with his arms in his face. he grunted and gritted his teeth as he pulled himself up. He was still getting used to only feeling one arm.

Bucky stayed knelt on the thin ledge and he looked around the room and he knew that he was close to the bridge, he needed to get to the hangar and take a Quinjet to New York. He knew that they were busy looking for him in the upper levels, and even though he climbed upward, he was still in the lower levels. Bucky needed to stay as quite as possible if he wanted to get out of the Helicarrier alive.

_**Steve**_

Steve was walking toward the lab when he saw Tony running out of it. Steve stopped him and he could see a look of panic on his face.

"Stark, what's wrong?" Steve asked

"Uh, we have a slight problem"

"How slight?" Steve asked Tony as he let him walk past him.

"Let's just say that we have someone with a gun walking into the building"

"Who would be crazy enough to do that?" Steve asked

"I don't know Capsicle, just get your shield" Tony said and he ran off.

Steve looked back at him and he went to his room to get his shield. He made it and he saw Clint climbing down from his 'Nest'. Steve stopped him and he put his hand on his shoulder. "Clint, what is going on?"

Clint looked at Steve and he looked at him with an unsure glance.

"The guy that beat my ass, that's who is coming up here"

"What?"

"Cap, stay near Natasha, its her he's after" Clint said pushing Steve toward his room.

Steve was confused, wait when did all this start to involve Natasha?

"What is going on?" Bruce asked walking into the hallway and he saw Clint and Steve looking rather worried and stern.

"Banner, it might be a very good time to let the other guy help out" Clint said

"What?" Bruce asked

"We have a hostile in the tower and he's after Natasha" Clint said

"Why?" Steve asked

"It has something to do with Red Room" Clint said "Look Cap I would love to chat, but I have to help Stark" Clint said hurrying away.

Steve looked at Bruce, and he gritted his teeth and smacked his hand against the wall, putting a hole through it.

"Steve?"

"Just get angry" Steve said as he walked into his room

He needed to find Natasha and why the hell didn't Clint tell him? Steve grabbed his shield and he thought about a place that Natasha would be, it was either the gym or the training room. He had to think, which one would be more likely? He thought about it and he knew that the gym was the best bet. Steve walked out of his room and he ran toward the stairs and he skipped steps going down them to get to the gym. Steve felt his heart racing and he knew he had to calm down, if there was trouble she could handle herself, but that never stopped him from worrying before; why would it start now?

Steve didn't have the patience for doors, he kicked the one in front of him and it flew off its hinges and smacked into the wall. he walked out and he saw the entrance for the gym. Steve jogged toward it then he heard a gun fire. he almost stopped in his tracks, but he sprinted into the gym and he saw Natasha kicking a soldier in the gut then she punched him in the face. Steve saw three other soldiers and they were closing in on her. Steve threw his shield and it hit one of them. Steve sprinted forward and he caught his shield as it flew back toward him. He put it up and smacked a soldier with it as he ran past sending him into the air flipping. Steve slid and he brought his foot up and he kicked a soldier in the knee and broke his leg. The man screamed in pain as his leg went backwards and Steve smacked him in the face with the shield.

Natasha swung her leg over Steve's head and she hit a soldier in the face as he was trying to stab Steve. Steve stood up and he looked around as the soldiers were groaning and they were lying around the gym. He looked at Natasha "Thanks"

"We're even" Natasha said kicking a soldier in the face knocking him out.

"We need to get out of here" Steve said

"Why?" she asked puzzled

"These men are after you"

"I'm not going to run away Steve"

"The man who beat the crap out of Clint, these are his men" Steve said

"They aren't that good" Natasha said

"No, but he is"

"How?"

Steve knew she had to know "He's from Red Room"

Natasha's eyes widened and she felt all the sound fade away and she could see Steve's mouth moving, but she couldn't hear the words. Red Room, what the hell? Natasha blinked and then Steve grabbed her arm and she looked at him and all the sound came back to her.

"I need to get you out of here" Steve said

"Why Captain, I just want her to come home"

Steve turned to see a man in a similar stature to his own and he had brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black operator suit and he had a scar across his face.

"Who are you?" Steve said standing in front of Natasha

"Just an old friend, even though she wouldn't remember me. My name is Niko Constantine, and I'm here to collect Romanova. Stand down and I will spare your life"

"If you want her, you have to come through me" Steve said sternly and he took a step forward.

"I was hoping you were going to say that, you die tonight Captain"

"We'll see" Steve said and he readied himself.

Niko chuckled and he did the same "Let the fun begin"

Niko ran at Steve and he ran at Niko, they met in the middle and Steve dodged a punch and kicked Niko back. Niko stumbled away and he quickly recovered and he ran and threw a punch. Steve put his shield up and Niko hit his shield and it made a loud bell noise. Steve reacted by kicking Niko in the knee making him fall down. Niko saw the shield coming and he stopped it with his hands before it hit him in the face. He chuckled and he twisted it and the shield flew away and skidded across the floor. Steve grunted and he kneed Niko in the face. Niko fell onto his back and he swung with his leg and caught Steve off guard and knocked him over. Niko brought his elbow down and hit Steve in the gut and he started to get up then a foot hit him in the face. Niko spun around and landed on the floor face first. He chuckled and he cracked his jaw back into place and he stood up. Natasha was standing in front of Steve. Niko cracked his neck and he took a step forward. Natasha punched him in the gut then the face and she brought her foot up and smacked him under the jaw sending him into the air. he fell back and he groaned as he struggled to get back up.

Niko could taste blood in his mouth and it was also running out of his nose. He wiped it away and he looked at it on his hand.

"You're better than I remember Romanova" Niko said

Steve stood back up and he advanced, Niko blocked a punch and Steve hit him in the gut. Niko blocked another punch and he put his hands on Steve's chest and made his arms go away and he head butted him. Steve stumbled away and Natasha slid and hit Niko in the lower abdomen and Niko fell down to his knees and Natasha stopped herself and turned around. She ran at Niko and she jumped onto him and wrapped around him. she was about to flip him when Niko grabbed her leg and threw her off. Natasha hit a wall and she landed. Niko went to kick her and she rolled forward and he over stepped and she hit him in the groin. Niko felt the air leave him and he fell to his knees and he groaned in pain. He slowly stood up, he turned and Steve was there and grabbed him and threw him across the room. Niko smacked into a pillar and he fell onto some weights. He stood up with gritted teeth and he grabbed the lifting bar and he threw it like a spear at Steve. Steve jumped into the air with his whole body and the bar missed him by centimeters as it flew under him. Steve caught himself with his hands on the floor. Steve pushed himself up and he saw Natasha with his shield and she charged at Niko.

Niko dodged a jab from Natasha and he swung at her and she ducked and brought the shield down onto his foot. Natasha felt the shield go through bone and break Niko's foot. Niko howled in pain and he kicked her away. He took his foot and he groaned and he gritted his teeth and his bones came back together and it made a loud snap. He exhaled in relief and he looked at Natasha and she was looking at him with a weird face. Niko ran at her and Steve tackled him before he got to her. Natasha threw the shield, not as accurately as Steve would have but it was good enough. Steve was kicked off of Niko and his shield hit Niko as he was trying to stand. Niko hit the floor and he rolled and recovered and was ready again. Steve ran and punched him in the face and Natasha slid through Steve's open stance and kicked Niko in the gut. Niko knew that he needed to decommission one of them. Niko saw Steve put his shield back onto his forearm. The bad part was, he didn't see a flaw in the Captain's fighting style.

Natasha kicked Niko in the face and he stumbled away. he swung his leg around and he caught Steve in the jaw and then a fist hit him in the neck and then he felt a burning pain burst through his body. He shook violently and he couldn't control his muscles and he fell onto his back. Niko was out and Natasha stood over him breathing heavily. Steve stood up and he stood next to Natasha.

"We need to go" Steve said

Natasha nodded and they both walked toward the exit. Niko opened his eyes and he pulled out a knife and he got up and threw it. Natasha put her hand on the door and she pulled it open. Steve could hear something coming toward them, his enhanced hearing helped him. Steve closed his eyes and he took a step, so he stood in front of Natasha. He felt a cold blade pierce his back, it traveled through his chest and the blade came out the other end and stuck out of his chest. Natasha felt warm blood splatter over her neck and she felt it in her hair. she turned to see Steve with a huge knife protruding from his chest. Her eyes widened and she caught him as he fell backwards. She set him down on his side so he didn't push the knife in farther.

Her heart was running and she felt her throat tighten. She held is face in her hands and she could see his blue eyes staring at her. She felt like someone had hit her in the gut, she saw blood leak out of his mouth and he put his hand on her knee. She knelt down and she could feel the warmth from his face and she held it in her hands. She could see an inch of the blade was sticking out of his chest. She felt her eyes burn with tears and they streamed down her cheeks. She looked into Steve's eyes.

"NO!" she screamed

Steve stared at her blankly and he could sense all the sound was starting to fade. He moved his hand up to her face and he didn't realize that it was covered in blood. Natasha moved her hand and held his to her face and she closed her eyes and tears fell onto Steve's face. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't breathe. He moved his lips but, nothing came out.

"NO, God no!" she said and she looked at him and she cried. Steve looked at her and he felt his eyes start to water and a tear fell out and slid down his face, his vision began to darken.

"I... I... Lo... Lo... you" Steve said struggling to breathe

Natasha saw his eyes darken and she felt his hand go limp and it fell away from her face. It left his hand print on the side of her face. She looked through her blurry vision from the tears and she started to tap Steve's face.

"Steve... Steve..." Natasha lowered her head and she felt like a bullet pierced through her heart. "Steve come back, Steve come back" She said through a sob as she lightly tapped his face with her hand.

Niko walked up and he grabbed her by the arm, she swung at him and he caught it and broke her arm. He dragged her away by her foot. She put her unbroken hand on the floor and she watched as she was dragged away from him. She felt tears streaming down her face and she opened her mouth and screamed.

"Steve... Steve!... STEVE!"


	15. Chapter 15

"_Who do you want me to be?"_

"_Was that your first kiss since 1945?"_

"_I can experience it from you"_

"_Hi"_

Steve felt a jolt of pain and he opened his eyes, he was in a dark room. He sat up slowly and he stood up. He walked along the floor and noticed that he was barefoot. He saw the faint outline of pillars and then a single light came on in the dark room. He saw Himself lying on the ground on his side and there was a pool of blood. Natasha was kneeling next to him and he had his hand on her face. Steve took a quick step forward then he felt the floor break under him. He fell and he saw a bright light and he put his hand up and he was back in his apartment. He looked around and he saw himself walk to the door and he opened it.

He saw Natasha rush in and she was furious. Steve saw himself get backed up into a corner. He closed his eyes and a bright light hit him again. He was now in his old apartment in Austria. He was standing next to the bed and he saw himself walk out of the bathroom and then the door opened suddenly. He saw Natasha, looking rugged and she was in her suit. Steve watched as he saw himself and Natasha kiss passionately and they both hit the door and it closed. The loud bang from the door closing made Steve fell a sudden lift in his feet.

Steve felt his feet leave the ground and he looked up and saw a room up above and it was as if it was an elevator shaft. Steve flew up and he landed suddenly on the floor and he knew he was in Sam's house. He could see Natasha toweling her hair and he saw himself walk out of the bathroom and sit across from her. Steve put his hand to his head and grimaced in pain.

He was behind Rumlow and he was on an escalator and he passed himself and Natasha kissing as Rumlow looked away. Steve watched as he passed himself and he blinked and then he was on the Helicarrier and he was standing next to Coulson. He saw Himself walk out of a Quinjet and he saw Natasha standing there.

Steve felt another pain in his head then his chest. He was back in his apartment and the lights were off and the early light of the city was the only lighting. He saw himself sitting at his desk watching a video of himself. Then he saw himself look through all the files on his dead Howling Commandos. He saw himself pause on Peggy's file and he saw as he looked at the phone.

Steve felt another jolt of pain in his chest and he saw a bright light. He was sitting in the back of a car and he was next to his scrawny self and he was sitting next to Peggy.

"I got beat up in that alley"

Steve closed his eyes and he was standing behind himself while he was sitting in a chair. He was flying the bomber into the ice and Steve felt a sudden pang of guilt and he reached for himself and his hand went right through him.

"I'd hate to step on your…"

Steve felt the impact and he flew back and hit the hull of the bomber and he saw the cold freezing water pour in and he felt it attack him and it enveloped him and he felt it incase him.

Steve felt another jolt of pain in his chest and he opened his eyes and he was in a well lit room and a baseball game was on the radio and he noticed it sounded familiar. He felt the bed sink beneath him and he fell and he saw the room fade away and he felt another jolt and he opened his eyes.

Steve was in a medical wing and he saw Bruce standing over him and he had a blood all over him. Steve could hear the beeping of the heart monitor and he looked to his right and he saw Clint standing there. Steve saw Thor and Tony. He blinked and he looked around for Natasha, she wasn't there. Steve suddenly remembered the last thing he saw was her being dragged away from him. Maybe if he would have been faster he could have blocked the knife. He felt like it was his fault that she was taken away. Steve knew that it wasn't, but that didn't stop him from thinking it was.

Steve felt a sudden strike in his heart rate and he felt his temperature rise a little. He gritted his teeth, why didn't Clint tell him. The heart monitor went crazy.

"Bruce, what's happening?" Tony asked

"I don't know" Bruce said putting his hand on Steve's shoulder. Steve instantly moved his hand and caught him by the hand.

"Get away from me" Steve growled

Bruce reacted to slow and Steve pulled him down close to his face.

"I said get away" Steve said shoving Bruce away, and sent him into a trey of medical supplies.

"Whoa Cap settle down" Tony said

Steve turned his attention to Stark and he sat up and he got off the table and he grabbed Tony by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"Capsicle?" Tony said through a choke

Clint took a step forward and he saw Thor to. Steve dropped Tony and kicked Thor away and he turned toward Clint. Tony was coughing and holding his throat.

Steve walked toward Clint and he looked pissed.

"You!" Steve said

Clint stood his ground and Steve grabbed him and slammed him up against the wall.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Steve growled

"Cap" Clint said

"WHY!" he barked

"I thought it was best if you didn't know"

"She's gone Barton! She's gone!" Steve yelled into his face

Clint felt his feet leave the floor and he was lifted up into the air.

"You should have trusted that she could handle it" Steve said

"I didn't know how she would be" Clint said

"She would have been fine and she would have been prepared"

"Well, I didn't let him take her" Clint said and he regretted it as soon as he said it.

Steve put his hand on Clint's throat and squeezed. Clint grabbed Steve's wrist and he tried to pull his hand away, but Steve was stronger than him and he couldn't move his hand.

"She's gone" Steve said softly and his grip decreased and he slowly put Clint back down.

Clint watched as Steve broke down in front of him and it was the first time he ever saw Steve shed a tear. Steve rested his head against Clint's shoulder and he rambled on with her name. Clint watched as Steve stood up to full height and he took a step away and he looked light headed and he fell over and hit the floor. Clint knelt down and pulled him back up and Thor helped move him to a medical bed.

Once Steve was in place and Bruce set an I.V. he turned to Tony.

"What the hell was that?" Tony asked

_**Clint**_

Clint was the only one left in the medical wing in the tower. He sat in a chair a good ten feet from Steve. He could still feel his fingers around his throat. Clint knew that Steve was right, he should have trusted that Natasha could have handled it. She always said she could, he guessed that he never truly believed her. That was his fault there. He knew that she would have taken badly first, then that it would have settled out eventually. If he had told her as soon as he got back with his injury's that he should have told her who it was. He pulled a Fury: not telling you everything.

They had been partners long enough, Clint sat there staring at the floor. His eyes never blinked and he breathed slowly. He needed to get Natasha back, she needed him, and Steve needed her. He saw how they were together, Nat was actually happy. Clint knew when she would throw on a fake smile, she never did that with Steve. Clint had messed up, and now he needed to get himself out of this huge hole he had dug himself in. It was time to get Natasha, he wasn't going to wait around forever. Clint stood up and he began to walk away.

"Clint" a husky voice said

Clint looked back and he saw Steve sitting up. He walked back toward him and he stood close, but not close enough for him to grab him by the throat again.

"Yeah, Cap?"

"Sorry, for the whole thing" Steve said and he lightly coughed

"It's ok, I probably would have acted the same in someone did anything to Laura"

"Who's Laura?" Steve asked

Clint felt his heart rate increase.

"Just an old girlfriend" he finally said

"Clint, tell me everything" Steve said his voice back to normal and he had his usual look again.

"OK" Clint said and he pulled the chair closer and he sat next to him and he began to talk.

"We got contact with this one guy, back in November. Bucky and Hill had tried to gain Intel from a drug dealer named Zeak, it didn't end well. This man…"

"Niko Constantine" Steve stated remembering the name he told him.

"That's right, anyway he was part of old Red Room, and he is the male equivalent of Natasha and he was trained by Barnes. He was deemed a failure and they put him on ice, then they threw him into a prison"

"Yeah like that solves every problem" Steve said

"Yeah, and apparently he hates Barnes, and we think that Nat is part of his plan in some way, it would have happened sooner, if me and Morse didn't stop him."

"Barton, you should have told us"

"I know, I guess I never really trusted Nat enough to think she could handle it" Clint said shaking his head

Steve could see that he was hating himself right now.

"Clint, don't punish yourself, Natasha needs us" Steve said sitting up

"Whoa, you can't leave" Clint said standing up and putting his hand on Steve's shoulder. "You need to rest cap"

"I've been through worse" Steve said

"I can't talk you out of this can I?"

"Clint, I love her, there is no way in hell that you will stop me"

"Ok, what's the plan?"

"We need to find out where he sleeps" Steve said

"We've been trying to do that for months now" Clint said and he helped Steve stand to his feet.

"Get into contact with Bucky and Morse. Hill I don't know, um you follow your leads and I'll follow mine"

"Wait you're not going with us?"

"No, Clint, I have someone I need to speak with, and then I will contact you with a destination and you will meet me there. I'm going to infiltrate his base and get Natasha, Niko is yours" Steve said walking forward.

"Who are you going to talk to?" Clint asked as he watched Steve walk toward the doors.

Steve turned toward him "Someone from the past" and he continued walking "And I know exactly who to talk to" he said softly and he pushed the medical doors open.

_**Bucky**_

Bucky had to steal a Quinjet to get out of the helicarrier and now all he had to do was make contact with Steve. He had no idea how he was going to do that. Bucky didn't care about clearing his name, and after Niko, he was going to disappear. A part of him didn't want to. The same part wanted to go be with Maria, but this was for the best. Bucky needed to make sure there was nothing that would stop him from having anything real.

He didn't want a relationship that would be hindered by an old buddy who wants to kill you. In his book, that meant get your life together. Bucky was almost to New York when some was trying to contact him. Bucky almost hit the button and he hesitated, it could be Fury. Wait it couldn't be Fury, the Quinjets had stealth modes, given by Stark. He pressed the button and a screen popped up and Clint's face appeared.

"Barton, what's up?" Bucky asked

"We ran into a problem"

"Oh no, Niko" Bucky said

"Yeah, and its worse he has Natasha."

"What?" Bucky snapped

"Yeah and Steve was injured, don't worry he up and about. He's actually going after Niko."

"That sounds like him"

"Yeah, hey is Hill with you?"

"Yeah about that, I am actually being hunted by Shield at the moment" Bucky said

"What did you do?"

"Oh nothing, just got framed by an agent who was actually working for Niko"

"Dammit"

"Yeah, so Hill won't be with us" Bucky said

"I'll reach out to Morse, she thinks there was a mole in Shield"

"She was right, Agent Hansen lovely chap" Bucky said sarcastically

"Well, Steve is following a lead, or at least getting one. He was going to contact us when he found out where Niko sleeps"

"He does know we have been trying to do that for months now?"

"Yeah, but he seemed pretty adamant that he knew how to find out where he is, maybe we should have let them know"

"Well we're paying for it now"

"Yeah, I'll keep you posted" Clint said and he disconnected the line

Bucky exhaled and he shook his head _Steve Rogers to the rescue, again._


	16. Chapter 16

_**Agent Hill**_

Hill was standing behind Fury as the Helicarrier leveled out finally. She was worried about Barnes, she knew he could take care of himself. She pushed him from her mind, but Fury shoved it back in.

"You're telling me that Barnes sabotaged the helicarrier and killed a scientist" Fury said to one of the agents reporting to him

"Yes sir, it's on video" the agent said handing an I-pad to him.

Fury took it and he looked at the screen and he watched as the video showed Barnes setting charges on one of the power cells. Fury replayed the video again and he thought he saw something. The feed jumped forward as if something was put in front of it as Barnes began to walk toward the power cell. It showed him stand in front of the power cell then it jumped again and it showed Bucky run away. Fury felt like it was iffy. He frowned and he looked at the agent.

"Get out of here" Fury said

"Yes sir" the agent said and hurried away

Hill watched as he walked past her, she noticed that he was sweating profusely. She frowned at him and she turned her attention toward a tech on one of the consoles and she saw that he was sweating to. She had a funny feeling.

"Hill, do you think that Barnes could have done this?" Fury asked turning toward her

"Could he have, yes, but he wouldn't" Hill said

"How can you be so sure?" Fury said slightly agreeing with her

"Barnes, gave no behavior as hostile to us"

"True, but he could have been playing us"

"Sir, he looked just as surprised by Niko's name as we did. I've seen a fake surprised face, it lasts to long. Bucky's face was surprised for a millisecond and then he seemed like he was remembering something and he looked angry"

"When did you start calling him Bucky?" Fury asked

Hill opened her mouth to speak, but she was lost for words.

"Hill, is there something I should know about you and Barnes?" Fury asked

"What? No sir, just I have grown to trust him" Hill said slightly uncomfortable

"I'm going to go through this video myself and find out why it seems off" Fury said walking away

Hill exhaled as he walked away, she looked at the other techs and they seemed normal, but why did one of them look like they were doing something they shouldn't be?

Fury walked into his office and he sat down at his desk and he plugged a few things into the I-pad. He pressed a few buttons and he tapped the screen a few times and he sifted through the footage. He sat there for what seemed like hours and he had found nothing. Fury wanted to believe that Barnes didn't do it, but the footage was slowly converting him.

Fury exhaled and he sat back in his chair and he rubbed his eyes. He glanced at the side of the screen and he noticed that the footage wiggled around the edge as if it was a cover of the other footage. Fury leaned forward and he put his hand to his chin and pondered at it. He pressed button and it gave him an option that shouldn't have been there, if the video was real. He saw an option for delete edited version. Fury frowned and he pressed delete.

The real footage came up and it showed Hill sitting on a power cell and she had her head lowered and she seemed upset. Then he saw Barnes slowly walk into the view and he saw Barnes slightly hesitate walking forward. The audio wasn't there, but he saw Barnes walk in front of Hill and he began talking to her. He made her chuckle and then Hill's face got serious again and Fury saw something that made his eyes widened.

Barnes and Hill started to kiss, and Barnes seemed hesitant and then he brought her into an embrace and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Fury was tempted to turn off the video, then they both stopped kissing and Hill answered her communicator. Barnes lightly chuckled and he had Hill's suit have unzipped.

Fury turned off the video as he watched Hill walk away from Barnes. He sat back in his chair and he figured that he should talk to Hill, but not now. Fury found another view of a camera, but this time it was a more recent entry. The audio was live on this one and the footage showed Barnes talking to agent Hansen.

"You're the mole" Barnes said

"Niko wanted to take down the Avengers, and with Fury busy hunting you…"

Fury turned off the video and he sat back in his chair. Agent Hansen was dead, wasn't he? Fury stood up and he walked to the door of his office and he heard a loud thump on the door. Fury knew what it was and he ran and dove over his desk and hit the floor. The doors blew open and men in dark operator suits came in and fired.

Fury stayed low as bullets made dents in the walls and papers were thrown into the air. Fury grabbed his pistol under his desk and he cocked it back. He heard them reload and Fury popped out of cover and fired. He hit three and they were down, two were still left and they fired again. The gunfire stopped abruptly and Fury almost stood up and was about to fire again.

"I want this thing in the water" Niko said

"Yes sir"

"Fury, it's so said that half of your agents are in my pocket"

"It's happened before" Fury said and he blind fired his pistol and he knew he hit someone. He heard a body hit the floor with a thump.

"Let's go, we have our prize, and I want to deal with her as soon as possible"

"Hey boss, do we get to have a round with her?"

"Of course, I'll let you soften her up for me" Niko said and he chuckled

Fury had a funny feeling that he was talking about Romanoff. Fury stood up and he fired again and he shot the other soldier who asked Niko the question. Blood splattered against the wall and Niko shit Fury twice in the chest. Fury fell to the floor and Niko chuckled and walked away.

Fury coughed and he sat up. He groaned and he pulled two bullets out of his vest.

"I'm never taking you off again" Fury said

Hill heard gunfire and she saw Niko walk across a hallway and disappear around a corner. Hill pulled out her gun and ran forward. She rounded the corner and she could see Niko's back. Hill aimed and fired and hit his two last soldiers and then him. Niko stopped and he chuckled. He turned and he slowly tilted his head as he looked at her.

"Hill, isn't this a surprise" Niko said and he was holding a pistol in his hand

Hill had her gun aimed at his face and she fired.

Niko dodged the bullet and fired and the bullet whizzed through the air and grazed Hill's ribs. Hill gasped as she felt it sting and she fired again. Niko took this one in the shoulder and the bullet fell to the floor making a ping.

"I came prepared, Hill I would love to chat and maybe take you with me, but I have a pretty red head at home waiting for me. I don't want to keep her waiting, chow" Niko said and walked away and the Helicarrier shook violently and Hill smacked into the wall. Her gun fell away from her and she stood up.

Fury stumbled out of his office and he saw Hill standing at the end of the hall. Hill looked over and saw him, she ran toward him and she grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulder.

"Niko's here" Fury said

"I know" Hill said and she grimaced as her wound slightly pulled.

"We need to get off this thing" Fury said

"I whole heartedly agree" Hill said and they headed for the hangar.

"Niko had people on the inside the entire time, who knew the same thing could happen twice" Fury said

"Yeah, well let's just make sure it's not a third time"

They made it to the hangar and most of the Quinjets were gone. Hill saw one left and then she saw Niko step out of it. He smiled and blew her a kiss and the Quinjet lifted off the ground and flew away. Hill couldn't see anymore and she turned around and they walked toward the stairs. Hill opened the door and Fury walked slowly behind her and he followed her up to the flight deck.

"Hill, I don't think there is a jet that seats two" Fury said

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" Hill said

Hill and Fury came to the door that led to the outward deck and she kicked the door open and fire was all over the deck and the Helicarrier was heading toward the ocean. Hill looked at Fury and he looked at her.

"Well, that ended well" Fury said

"Things happen sir"

"Yeah, but twice. Rogers may be right, S.H.I.E.L.D. should not be around"

"So what, you going to retire in a cottage in the country?" Hill asked teasingly

"Ha, if it was that easy, I would have done that a long time ago. No I just need to take the back seat and let things go and ride them out"

"Well, then it's all the Avengers"

"Maybe that's why I should do this. You should help them, give Rogers whatever help you can"

"What about you?"

"Oh, you know I'll come in when I'm needed" Fury said "That is if we get off this thing" Fury said looking at all the destruction.

Hill looked around and the water was getting closer and soon this thing was going to be shattered. Hill honestly thought this was going to be the last day she was going to be alive. Hill saw something out of the corner of her eye and it was a Quinjet and it was flying toward them.

Fury looked at it "Well who could that be?"

The Quinjet slowed and hovered over them and slowly lowered and the back ramp opened and a man with a metal arm stood above them.

"You just going to stand there?" Bucky asked

Bucky put his hand out and Fury grabbed it and he pulled him up. Fury stood up and walked into the Quinjet and took a seat. Bucky put his hand out and Hill jumped and he caught her. He pulled her up and she was looking at him.

"Yeah, I know I lied about not coming back, just forgive me already"

Hill stood up and Bucky face her and she kissed him. Bucky had his hand on her waist and they came apart and Bucky smiled and he followed her into the Quinjet. He took a seat in the pilot seat and he flew the Quinjet high into the air and he set it to auto pilot. He turned around and he looked at Fury.

"Thanks Barnes" Fury said

"Well, we have a job to do. Niko has Natasha and we have a plan slowly coming together to get her back"

"What about Rogers?" Fury asked

"We pissed him off, and know he is helping us. He is following his own lead and he will contact us when he has a location."

"Well, who do we have?" Fury asked

"Well, Steve, Clint, Morse, Me, and now you and Hill" Bucky said

"What about the other Avengers?" Hill asked

"Well, we have them to, but they are standing by if we need back up" Bucky said

"What kind of lead is Rogers pursuing?" Fury asked

Bucky looked back out of the window and the sun was coming up over the horizon.

"I have no idea" Bucky said

_**Clint**_

Clint was standing is the bar that he and Morse first met and he saw her walk in. he stood up and he welcomed her and they both sat down at the table.

"What's up Barton?" Morse asked

"We need your help" Clint said

"We?"

"Yeah, me and Bucky. Niko had Natasha and we need to get her back" Clint said

"Just you and Barnes?"

"No we have Steve with us to, Rogers"

"Oh"

"Bucky just sent me a message that he has Hill and Fury as well"

"How did that happen?"

"Well, Niko just blew up the helicarrier and also the S.H.I.E.L.D was another fake, funny how the same problem can arise twice" Clint said

"Yeah hilarious" Morse said

"So, you in or are you out?" Clint asked

Morse was silent for a while and then she looked at him.

"I'm in"


	17. Chapter 17

_**Steve**_

Steve sat on his motorcycle and it was early morning. The sun was just peaking over the clouds and the baby blue sky was being shown. The wind was bitterly cold though and thin snowflakes were falling subtlety to the ground and they were beginning to cumulate. Steve was sitting in a parking lot on his motorcycle sideways. He watched the sunrise and he could feel the wind nipping at his cheeks and making his ears become numb and red.

He sat there with his right hand rubbing his chest. The wound was mostly healed, but he felt like the blade was still in his chest. He wasn't in a very good mood, and he was hoping the sunrise would have helped; it didn't. He was worried sick about Natasha, and now he needed to get her out. He had to wait till at least eleven before he could go in.

He wanted to go in at that very moment, but he knew it would be rude and very unorthodox. He knew he had to wait, moving too quickly into something, can make things worse. He just hoped to God that she was having a good day.

Steve stared at the sun as he watched it slowly climb into the air. He began to think about the first moment that he woke up three years ago. He first felt relief and that he was back home and he was expecting to see Peggy, Stark, or even Coronel Phillips. Then he felt odd, as if he had been asleep for a long time and he was just waking up and he didn't want to move. The radio was the first thing that made him wonder if he was dreaming, or dead. He had been at that game, and he remembered the empty feeling as he sat up. He knew something was different, something just felt off.

He stood up and then a woman came in and she smiled and said hello. He returned the gesture with a where am I. Not very nice for the first conversation to have in seventy years. Then the panic as he noticed that he was in a fake room. He ran out into the street of New York and all the bright lights, and the weird looking cars. He thought he was in a nightmare, until Fury stepped out and spoke to him, then he really was in a nightmare. He spent that first year in a dark place, and he had spent most of his time at home staring at the files with his dead comrades in them. He felt alone, and like somehow he failed.

Then one day Fury comes in and wants him to help with something and then he is on a Quinjet with agent Coulson. It was a rather uncomfortable first meeting, but then they landed on the Helicarrier. He saw the most beautiful thing in the whole world, and she was on a military ship. He felt at home on the Helicarrier, yet there was something about Natasha that just got him out of his slump. He didn't know if it was just because she was gorgeous or that she reminded him of Peggy.

Steve looked at his watch and it read: 12:25 pm.

He exhaled and he stood up and he noticed that he was covered in snow, how long was he thinking? Steve brushed as much as he could off of his shoulders and head. He walked toward the doors and he opened them. The smell of a building that was completely packed with medical supplies filled his nostrils. He hated that smell. He walked up to the counter and a young woman was standing there looking at a computer. She glanced up and noticed him.

"Can I help you?"

Steve looked at her and nodded "Yes, I'm here to see Peggy" Steve said

"Oh, your Steve right?"

"Yeah"

"Sorry I didn't recognize you with the beard" she said lightly laughing

Steve smiled and chuckled and he rubbed his face "Yeah that has happened a lot"

"Trying out a new look?"

"Yeah, my girlfriend wanted me to" Steve said and he suddenly felt a sudden pain in his heart as he thought about the memory of him and Natasha lying in bed and she was stroking his beard and told him to keep it.

"Well, you look nice"

"Thank you…"

"Judy"

"Judy, ok well can I see her?"

"Yes, she is having a good day"

"Oh good" Steve said following Judy toward Peggy's room.

He stayed a good distance behind Judy and he thanked her and she walked back to the desk and Steve opened the door and Peggy was lying in bed. He walked in and Peggy saw him and smiled and she looked at him funny.

"When did you grow the beard?" she asked

"Oh, I've had this since thanksgiving" Steve said smiling and he took a seat in the chair he usually sat in.

"Oh so you've had it for a while good, I was hoping that was it. I didn't want it to be that I saw you yesterday and I had forgot about it" Peggy said smiling

"Yeah" Steve said looking down

"This isn't a social visit is it?" Peggy said reading his glum expression.

"No, it's not. I wish it was" Steve said looking at her and Steve half smirked and it quickly disappeared and turned back into the frown.

"What is it, you look like you have just lost something"

"Huh, I did lose something"

"What was it?"

"My partner was kidnapped yesterday, and I stepped in front of a knife to save her" Steve said almost shuttering at the memory of seeing her face slowly become darker as he closed his eyes and then to hear her scream his name.

"Then what are you doing here?" Peggy said quit loudly

"I need a lead, the man who kidnapped her, he's from Red Room"

Peggy's face turned from worried to becoming very stern "Red Room, you're sure?"

"Yeah, and he was enhanced with the same serum that Natasha has"

"What is his play?"

"I don't know, but his name is Niko Constantin"

Peggy's face shuttered into grave fear "Niko Constantin?" she said shakily

"Yes, Peggy what do you know about him?" Steve said leaning closer

Peggy wouldn't look him in the eye and she stayed quiet. Steve didn't have time for this.

"What do you know Peggy?" Steve asked again, but this time with more authority in his voice

"Steve, if you go after him alone, you will die"

"I'm not going alone, do you know anything that could help me?"

"Niko Constantin was a product of Red Room, and he was deemed a failure, because they couldn't control him" Peggy said

"That I know, and then he was put on ice then sent to prison and he has this grudge against Bucky"

"There isn't much more than that"

"There is something, I saw it in your eyes when I said his name"

"Steve…"

"No Peggy, I need to find him and save her" Steve said sternly

"No, I won't…"

"Peggy, I am running out of time, where does Niko sleep?"

"How would I possibly know that?"

"I read reports about you after a few years after I went in the ice, you had a run in with Red Room. Do you know anything about Niko Constantin?" Steve asked rather loudly

"All I know is that he was sent to the Russian Gulag and then he was reported to have died in a prison riot to take over the Gulag" Peggy said

"Well clearly the reports were wrong, and he is still around"

"That is impossible"

"Unless he took over the Gulag and faked records" Steve said

"The Gulag Steve, is still a prison"

"Then I guess, I need to get arrested then" Steve said standing up to leave

Steve made it to the door and he looked at Peggy "Thank you" and he went to leave

"Steve?" Peggy said

Steve stopped and he looked back at her.

"This partner of yours, she means a lot to you doesn't she?"

Steve inhaled and he lowered his head and he slowly raised it.

"More than anyone would know"

_**Natasha**_

Natasha could tell she was in a chair, and that her left arm was in a splint. Her eye lids were heavy and she didn't want to open them. She could smell the room, it was musty and damp. She honestly was disgusted by the smell. She slowly opened her eyes and she was in a room and the walls were stone. She was tied to the chair and she felt dehydrated, her throat was dry. She could see a metal door in front of her. She needed to get out of the chair.

She still felt a bit dazed and she could hear her heart beating in her ears. Then the memory came back, she was dragged away from Steve then a rag was put over her mouth. She lowered her head and her eyes burned with tears as she could see the image of Steve lying on the floor with blood flowing out of him. Was he dead? She pushed the idea away from her head. Of course he wasn't dead, he'd been through worse. Then again Steve fell limp and his eyes were closed. Could he be dead?

Natasha couldn't think straight and she kept coming back to the image of Steve bleeding out on the gym floor. She needed to get out of the chair, then maybe she could get out of here. Natasha looked around the room and she saw no exit except for the metal door. Natasha grunted and she tried pulling her way out of the restraints. She groaned as she used all her strength to get out, but her effort was futile. There was no way she was getting out of the chair with only one hand. She calmed herself down and she hid her emotions like she was trained. Then the door opened. Natasha looked up to see Niko walking in and he was smirking. He paused and the door closed behind him. Natasha noticed the large machine to her right and she had a guess for what is was used for. Niko walked forward and he grabbed a fold up chair from the way and he sat in front of her. He calmly rested his hands on his thighs.

"I often wonder if you can remember me" Niko said

Natasha made the choice to stay quiet and keep her mouth shut and let him talk.

"Hmm sometimes I can see the wood floors and the large room where they danced" Niko said and he looked up at Natasha and he smiled. "Then again, you were there to"

Natasha tried to block him out, but she was dehydrated and she was still affected by whatever he had knocked her out with.

"Do you remember the stairway, ah such a huge stairway. I remember seeing you walking down it one day. You were about fifteen I think" Niko said

Natasha felt her heart slightly increase as he spoke about a memory that long haunted her.

Niko moved his hand to his head and it was shaking slightly. "I can still remember the noise of the music, it come to me in my dreams and then it is in my head for hours" Niko said

Natasha closed her eyes and she though back to then moment when she was a little girl and she was standing in a group of other girls and they were watching ballerinas dance.

"The thing that haunts me is the screams that I heard from the basement, every time they were giving us what we needed the screams would go through the house and they would stay in my dreams" Niko said and he put his fingers to his temple and he groaned as if he was having a headache.

Niko's grimaced face slowly calmed and he closed his eyes and slowly opened them. "Look at you, a former shell of what you used to be" Niko said

Natasha tried to block him out, but the effects of the drug was making it difficult.

"You used to be the best Black Widow, you were Natalia Romanova; the best one" Niko said and he chuckled "If they could see you now, oh what a disgrace they would see" Niko said smiling

Natasha could remember the tall blonde woman and then the training and then graduation. She started to shake as she slowly remembered. Niko looked at her and he sighed.

"It haunts you to, I can make it go away you know" Niko said leaning forward

Natasha focused on not listening to him.

"There was a time when I would have died for them, but I guess fate had a different path for me"

Niko stood up and he pulled out a knife and he dropped it onto the floor.

"Not good enough they said, to volatile and uncontrollable I was, then to be casted aside like some animal" Niko said

Natasha looked up at him and she finally spoke.

"You are an animal" she said huskily

Niko walked toward her and he punched her in the face. "I'm not an animal" Niko snapped and he smacked her again.

Natasha slightly cracked her jaw and she looked up at him.

"Then why did they lock you up in a cage?"

"You remember what they did to me, do you remember what they did to you?" Niko said pointing at her "They broke you, then imprinted memories into your mind and then they gave you the graduation"

Natasha had a sudden flash of memory of the feeling of burning.

"They took away the thing that could make you care about something more than the mission. That's all it ever was with them, the mission" Niko said as if he had an unfavorable flavor in his mouth

"Yet they made you feared and great, and yet you were also broken" Niko said softly and he walked toward her and he put his hand on her face and he could feel the dried blood.

"The idea of feeling making you weak is childish, it's what makes us human, and that's the one thing they wanted to get rid of. They wanted to make us tools of destruction and then not to feel or think about it later. Sadly there is this thing called humanity. Also the mind can repair itself"

Natasha stared at him as he went on.

"I broke the chains and I was deemed a failure because what they did to me made me uncontrollable, I didn't ask for this. I was thrown into this fucked up situation" Niko spat

Niko began to walk back and forth faster.

"That's why when I woke up here, I broke out and hunted them down and I killed every last one of them. I enjoyed every second of it. I knew that Barnes was still around and I knew that he needed to die. He made us and he caused this. I know he didn't have a choice either and that is why I am going to set him free."

Niko walked toward the machine and he grabbed a head guard and he held it in his hands.

"I can take away your pain to, I can get rid of this Natasha Romanoff and I can bring back the famous Black Widow, the great Natalia Romanova. Then I will set you free to, once we kill Barnes. Then the task will be done, then I can finally rest and I can go away. Only then will I be able to be set free, once Red Room is gone forever and it is down to us three. We must die and then we will be at peace" Niko said and he walked toward her.

Natasha inhaled as he put the head guard on her and she felt her heart rate increase. She thought about the moment with Steve on the park bench.

"I have spent years perfecting my technique and I can get her back, and get this thing out of here" Niko said looking at her as if she was a false image.

"I won't take away your beauty or physical ability, but I can break your mind" Niko said and he turned on a few switches and he put his hand on a leaver.

"She will come back and then we will kill Barnes" Niko said

Natasha felt her heart hammering in her chest and he pulled the leaver down and a shock of electricity flowed through her body and she shook violently. Niko stopped it and he chuckled "I forgot the mouth guard" and he shoved a rubber mouth guard into her mouth.

Natasha was leaning to her left and then he pulled the leaver again and she shook violently and she felt herself leaving, her vison grew darker. Natasha kept her thoughts on Steve and soon she couldn't focus and she screamed in pain.

"Yes, scream. Let it out, you have been hiding for too long, come out and finish the job" Niko said

Natasha felt her mind begin to split and she couldn't think and she felt like she was being taken out of her mind and she was being replaced with something else. Niko turned it off and Natasha threw her head forward and she was inhaling deeply and the mouth guard fell out of her mouth her heart was beating loudly in her ears and it slowly faded away. She felt nothing and the pain was gone and her emotions were in check and she felt like she was renewed and she looked at Niko and she smirked.

Niko smiled and he started to laugh.

End of Act 3


	18. Chapter 18: Act 4

_**Bucky**_

Bucky was sitting in the pilot seat of the Quinjet and he was fiddling with the controls. He actually wasn't doing anything, he was just trying to look busy so no one would talk to him. Bucky had been quite since everyone else got on board. They still needed Clint and Morse, and Bucky hadn't heard anything from Steve; which worried him. He didn't know if it the constant anxiety of waiting or if he was just paranoid. Bucky was sure that they would be able to take down Niko. The problem was finding out where he was, Bucky was hoping that Steve would contact him with the location.

Bucky never wanted Steve to get involved in the situation, he hated it when Steve always had to be forced into something. Bucky would have much rather dealt with Niko himself. At least that way no one else would get hurt. He knew that was a pipe dream, Natasha would have probably been taken. Then Steve would have gotten involved even if they weren't together. Bucky could remember a memory of him and Natasha kissing. Bucky shook his head at the memory, it wasn't even love, it was more of a weird itch that needed scratched. It was a long time ago and he knew she didn't remember it very well, or she did and just never really thought about it enough to care. They never even had sex, it was a relationship, but it was over in a blink of an eye. The next thing he knew he was with Zola again and he was put on ice. Then he was standing in front of a burning car with Howard Stark burning alive. He was in a different time again, then he was put back on ice. He hated the memories that came to him in his sleep. They were so real and vivid, he could actually feel his own emotions at that current time. The thought of what happened in Red Room pained him. He would never get forgiveness for what he did back then. Well he did create the world's deadliest assassin and she became good in the end, he had to take what he could get. Bucky wanted to remember what happened all those years ago, but the thought of learning what he did, was almost just as painful as seeing his memories flash before his eyes at any given time. Fury had said that Natasha suffered this to, but she got over it, or learned how to keep it at bay, he had no idea. Bucky just hoped that they would become less frequent over time, but they seemed to become even more frequent as time went on. Then again, his mind was trying to piece itself back together, and missing out on seventy years or culture and then being brainwashed again and again probably didn't help one bit, if anything if made it worse. Bucky just had to ride them out he guessed, even though they seemed to get more intense every time they occurred. He even seemed to have conversations with people that weren't even there, though that only happened when he was alone, and he had to be thankful for that. HE thought about how weird it would be to be talking to Fury or Hill and then fade out and start talking to someone from a memory like they were right next to you. Some people would call that psychotic and Bucky would have agreed with them if he was his normal 1940's self, which was never going to happen. Now it was just normal for him, yet he always had a pending memory of fear that he never saw images of, he only felt the emotions. Maybe he should tell someone all this, or it was nothing and he would be fine. Bucky wasn't a gambling man, but if he was, he wouldn't talk about it. He thought about telling Hill, but he didn't even know where he stood with her, either a pending relationship, or a monogenesis stalemate. Honestly he didn't know which one frightened him more. He would love to have a relationship, if he was his old 1940's self he would have laughed at himself, but now it would be nice to settle down and have something meaningful, but that wasn't going to happen to him. He didn't deserve it, even if he did have a family, he would find it hard to explain what he did for a living. Oh yeah, he hunted down and killed people who had political influence so a Nazi death cult could rule the world, that would be a good bedtime story. Bucky shook his head in disagreement over that issue. He was better to be alone, he was good at being alone, yet he always had Steve. That punk would get into trouble with every turn and he would have to save him, now Steve could take care of himself, yet Bucky didn't know if Steve had any hard times waking up in 2011. He would have guessed Steve would have moped around for a bit then he would have gotten back on his feet and would have continued on, he was good at it.

Bucky stared at the display of the map and they were another five hours away from New York where Clint and Morse were. Bucky sighed and leaned back and he felt his back crack slightly as he stretched and he slightly groaned as he did. He felt his muscles stretch then slowly let the burning sensation dissipate and then he felt normal again, just looser. Bucky looked back an noticed that everyone was sitting far away from him, he didn't know why, maybe they liked the back of the Quinjet, or they wanted some distance from him. Bucky shrugged and knew he could live with loneliness, he'd done it before. Bucky closed his eyes and he let the auto pilot do most of the work and he just focused on breathing and relaxing, or at least trying to relax. He found it hard to relax these days. Bucky rested his head against the head rest and he heard foot steps behind him. Bucky knew they were lighter, and he guessed it was Hill. He glanced over at the co-pilot seat and he saw Hill sit down. She brushed her hair out of her face and she had a streak of blood on her ribs and Bucky opened his eyes and he looked at it.

"Your hurt" Bucky said

Hill looked at him and she seemed surprised that he was talking.

"Nothing serious, just a little graze. I thought you were sleeping"

"Me, sleeping? No I was relaxing or at least trying to" Bucky said

"You don't sleep well do you?" Hill said

"No, I don't. If I do it's not very pleasant"

"Why?" Hill asked, she already partly knew the answer

"Memories, they always flood back in during my sleep, I'm used to not sleeping. Apparently I have been in and out of sleep for seventy years and I think I have had my fill" Bucky said and he cracked his neck and he looked over at her.

"Do you ever wonder what happened in Red Room?" Hill asked

"Every day, but I think a part of me doesn't want to know" Bucky said

"I wouldn't blame it"

"Me neither" Bucky said

They sat in silence and Bucky glanced over at her and he kept looking at her wound on her ribs.

"Sorry, but could I?" Bucky said leaning forward and pointing at her wound

"If it would get you to stop worrying" Hill said

"It would certainly help to know that my partner is still in one piece" Bucky said

"Be my guest" Hill said and she put her arm across the small gap and rested it on Bucky's seat.

Bucky leaned forward and he looked at her wound. He got closer and his face was inches away from her ribs. Hill swallowed and she felt her heart slightly begin to jump as his face got closer to her ribs, having him in close proximity of her breasts made her feel a little light headed. Bucky looked up at her and she was slightly blushing.

"Something wrong Agent Hill?" Bucky asked teasingly

"Ha ha very funny, so how does it look?" Hill asked

Bucky examined it closer and he put his real hand on her lower ribs and it was just below the wound and his touch almost made her jump. He moved it finger closer to the wound.

"That sting?"

"No" Hill said

Bucky touched it with his finger; Hill gasped and her face grimaced in pain.

"Ok, that hurt"

"Well, you're lucky, if it was a direct shot, it would have cut you to pieces" Bucky said

Hill looked at him and she frowned "You can tell what kind of bullet hit me?"

"Yeah, I've had a long time of looking at wounds, this bullet would have broken all your ribs on the left side and then it would have splintered off and pieced your lungs and aorta. You would have died a quick, but agonizing death."

"Well isn't that cheerful" Hill said uncomfortable with that image

"I would advise not getting shot in the future Miss Hill" Bucky said jokingly

"Yeah, great advise Doc" Hill chimed in with the crude humor.

"Well, you'll be fine. Just don't get hit next time"

"You are so good with encouragement Barnes, maybe you should have been a motivational speaker"

"I would be famous" Bucky said smiling

Hill laughed and she looked at Bucky's metal arm and she tilted her head. Bucky was smiling and he looked at Hill's eyes and noticed that she was staring at something. Bucky followed her gaze and he looked at his metal arm.

"Hill you ok?" Bucky asked slightly uncomfortable with her staring

"Oh, just I can't imagine what it's like to have a metal arm" Hill said

"Yeah, I would have preferred that the real one would have stayed, but a rock decided against it."

"Can I?" Hill asked and he hand reached forward.

Bucky looked at her hand and he hesitated and he swallowed and he slowly put his left hand out and he let her touch it. Hill ran her fingers over his fingers and she looked at him. She could feel the cold metal and she lightly moved her fingers to his palm and she rested her hand on his.

"Nothing?"

"No nothing, sometimes I forget that I have it" Bucky said still uncomfortable with her hand on his metal hand. He wished that he could feel her hand in his. He looked down as her hand moved to his wrist and then up his forearm.

Bucky wished he could feel her touch with his left arm, he felt his mouth slightly open and he felt a tear come to his eye. He blinked it away and he was surprised that he was crying. He missed knowing what he was touching with that arm so much. He wished he could feel the warmth of the sun, or the coolness of the wind. Even the freezing sensation of ice cold water. He wished, but he never would, and that made him a little sad. He didn't know why, it was just an arm and he could feel the rest with his real hand, but there was just the feeling of only experiencing half of the sensations. He felt a little empty. Hill took her hand away from his metal arm and she touched his real one just like the metal one. Bucky could feel his nerves start to go crazy as her fingers lightly rubbed his palm and he felt it tickle and then the warmth of her hand on his forearm. He inhaled and he looked at Hill and she was looking at him. Bucky smiled at her and he saw a smile appear on her face and Bucky wanted to touch her face and kiss her soft lips and rub his hand through her hair. Bucky exhaled and his nerves made him shiver slightly. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"So Agent Hill, do you have a thing for disabled soldiers?" Bucky asked

"You're not disabled" Hill said and she gripped his hand and she leaned forward and Bucky felt her breath on his face and they kissed. Bucky felt her lips against his and his ears became warm and he put his metal hand on her thigh.

"You do know I'm back here right?" Fury asked

Bucky and Hill came apart and they both looked back at Fury, who was sitting calmly and he slightly waved at them. Bucky chuckled and he looked at Hill and he looked into her eyes and he began to lose himself in them. A loud beep from the console brought Bucky back to reality. Bucky almost didn't want to answer it, it was killing the moment, or what was left of it. Bucky knew it could be Steve so he answered it. A display screen popped up and Steve's face appeared on it and he looked horrible.

"What's the news Steve?" Bucky asked

"I think I know where Niko sleeps" Steve said and he slightly looked down, then back at them.

"Good, where is it?" Bucky asked

"The Russian Gulag" Steve said

Bucky raised his eyebrows "Well if you plan on infiltrating that place, you're going to need one hell of a plan" Bucky said

"I have one, it's not my best, but it's the fastest option that doesn't let us have a high chance of death"

"But the ones with such high chances of death are the fun ones" Bucky said

"Yeah, we did some crazy stuff back then"

"Steve back then feels like yesterday to me" Bucky said

"I know how you feel, anyway I need to get in there. The best thing I could do is actually get arrested and put in the gulag" Steve said

"Whoa, reaching pretty high there Rogers" Hill said

"Heh, I've reached higher" Steve said

Hill was taken back by his response and she looked at Bucky.

"He has" Bucky confirmed

"So Rogers what is the plan for us? Fury asked

"I will create a distraction in the prison and then you can slip in through the chaos, Fury if you could so kindly be our exit" Steve said

"Good idea, we don't need the old man getting shot again" Bucky said teasingly

"Buck, you're the one who shot him" Steve said

Bucky's smile disappeared and he frowned and he looked back at Fury. "Sorry about that"

"You guys go after Niko, I'm going to find Natasha and I'm going to get her home" Steve said

"Well it sounds like a plan" Bucky said

"Yeah, just be there in two days" Steve said

"What are you going to do in the mean time?" Bucky asked

"What I always do, get into trouble" Steve said

"Yeah I know you're good at that. See you then punk" Bucky said

Steve actually smirked and he disconnected. Bucky sat back and he exhaled.

"Well at least we have time to get Clint" Bucky said

"And figure out the game plan" Fury said

"Yeah, breaking into a high security prison and also breaking someone out and capturing a enemy. How hard can that be?" Bucky said sarcastically


	19. Chapter 19

_**Steve**_

Steve was sitting in a bus and he was staring out the window. The bus wasn't exactly comfortable, he felt every bump. Steve was in Russia and it was snowing and he couldn't see three feet out the window. Steve thought back to the moment in the abandoned cottage when he was staring out into a whiteout and he let his mind drift away. He clenched his jaw and he swallowed and he pursed his lips and he could see Natasha in his apartment. She was standing by his dresser and she was holding a watch in her hand and she was in one of his huge plaid shirts. The buttons were open and she was barely keeping herself covered. Steve was lying in the bed and he had the covers at his waist as his skin slightly became warm as he kept his eyes on her. Steve fought of the memory often now.

It was a time when nothing was happening and everything was calm, and she looked so beautiful. He was staring out of the window at a blizzard, but all he could see was Natasha, everywhere he looked, she was there. He felt his eyes burn with tears and he didn't bother to wipe them away as they fell down his cheeks. He swallowed and he inhaled shakenly. He closed his eyes and he exhaled. Natasha was alive and he was going to get her back. Knowing her she was probably already figuring a way out. Steve lightly chuckled as he thought about her. How she could get herself out of almost anything. Steve loved that about her, no matter what situation she was put in, she could always find some way out. She could take care of herself yet again that was against normal soldiers. Niko was completely different and he was insane. Steve frowned as he pictured Niko's face and he felt his temper rise and his anger being to boil. He wasn't going to stop Niko, he was going to kill him. He took her away from him and now he was going to pay, but Natasha came first. He would get her to Fury, then he was going to kill Niko. There was nothing that would stop him, not even Bucky. Steve was good at forgiving people when they messed up, but Niko didn't mess up this was his plan and now he was going to pay for it.

Steve looked to his left and he saw a couple and the man was holding the woman's hand and they were smiling at each other. They lightly kissed and Steve felt a sudden pain in his heart, he envied for one more kiss, one more touch from Natasha. He looked away and he looked down at his feet. HE apparently fit right in with Russia, every gut had a beard. Steve thanked God that he listened to Natasha, when she said to keep the beard. Steve may have some success not being mistaken for Captain America, but the true test would be getting into the Gulag. He knew that if he got arrested and put in there, Niko would see him personally. Steve had to play Russian to pass. At least he saw how a Russian would get into anywhere for three years, either using flattery or intimidation, he'd seen it all from Natasha. In a way, she was helping in her own escape. Steve felt the bus stop and he looked up and they were in the middle of nowhere. Steve knew that is was his stop. He stood up and he walked forward. He stepped down and out of the bus, the frozen ground slightly crunched under his boots. Steve had a grey hat on and he was wearing a very badly treated coat that he got from a homeless guy, well at least that guy had six hundred dollars in his pocket and a very warm coat with fur in it. Steve had stained grey gloves on as well and the finger tips were cut off at the middle of his fingers. He was wearing worn black boots and dirt splattered black pants. He had a black stained sweater on as well and it could zip up and cover his neck. He was wearing a white tank top under that. If the beard didn't help, his outfit would.

Steve looked off into the distance as the blizzard started to let up and he could see a large fortress in the far distance and he knew what it was. He inhaled and he took a step forward and began to walk. He walked off the road and into the snow. He felt the cold air nip at his cheeks, but he didn't care. He had a mission, and a little bit of cold weather wasn't going to stop him. He had been in the artic for seventy years, a long walk in a blizzard should be nothing. Steve moved across the open field and he saw the tree line to his right. He squinted and he noticed ten large black furred animals. Steve stopped and he saw them start to head his way. Steve knew what they were; wolves.

Steve had seen wolves before and they usually stayed away from him yet again that was in the U.S. This was Russia, they probably see him as a threat and want him off their turf. Steve sighed and he kept his eyes on them as he continued walking. He would get to the Gulag by sundown, but if he got into a slight problem, it may be later than that. Steve knew that they were going to attack him. Steve changed his angle and he was slightly heading toward the tree line and he would be there in a good ten minutes, walking. He noticed one of the wolves stop and howl and then Steve stopped. He listened to the ear piercing howling from the wolves and he saw more than ten start heading toward him.

Steve sighed, of course he would walk into a wolves den. Steve started to jog and he headed toward the tree line, he would have a better advantage fighting in the trees. He was close and they were about to meet him. Steve was right outside of the tree line and his cheeks were numb and he heard one of them growl and jump at him. Steve turned around quickly and he caught the wolf by the throat in midair as it had its mouth wide open going for his neck. Steve flipped it and he stepped on its chest killing it, it gave out a loud yelp and Steve looked and the rest were coming for him.

Steve stood his ground and one lunged at him and Steve kicked it back. The wolf yelped and hit the ground and got back up and slowly walked toward his snarling. Steve stood ready and it lunged. Steve caught it and he threw it toward a tree and then another one tackled him to the ground. Steve put his hand on the wolf's throat as it chomped its jars toward his face. Steve gritted his teeth and he threw the wolf off of him and he quickly got up. He saw the entire pack standing around him snarling and biting at him. Steve saw one lung at him. Steve kicked it away and another went for him. Steve elbowed it in the face making contact with it jaw. Steve kicked another one and then one tackled him to the ground and bit his forearm. Steve grimaced and he punched the wolf in the face, breaking its jaw. Steve got back up and his arm burned with pain, Steve dismissed it.

Four wolves attacked him and one grabbed his calf and pulled him down. Steve struggled with the other three. He hit one away and another bit his forearm again and it clamped down and began to tear at him. Steve grunted in pain and he pushed the wolf away and as it lunged at him he brought his fist down and broke its skull. The one was doing a number to his calf and Steve shook his leg free and kicked it away.

Steve struggled to get up and the wolves were circling him and growling and spit was dripping out of their mouths. Steve saw one prepare to lung and Steve readied himself. It jumped at him with its mouth wide open and then a man dove over Steve and tackled the wolf in midair and they landed on the ground and he punched the wolf and the wolf gave a yelp. The man growled and he kicked another one and he stopped one and crushed its throat with a loud snap. The man tossed the dead wolf away and he stood with a wide stance and he yelled at the wolves and he was breathing heavily. The wolves stopped snarling, and they actually looked afraid and their ears went down and they whimpered and they scurried away. Steve was breathing heavily and he stood up. He stared at the back of the man that saved him. He watched as he saw the man's shoulders rising and falling from heavy breathing.

The man turned around and he looked at Steve. He had blue eyes and they were piercing and he had huge mutton chops and he had his hair in a weird style almost like they were ears. He frowned at Steve.

"You alright?" He growled

Steve was still in shock and he had his hand on his forearm "Yeah, thanks"

"What is a man like you doing out here?"

"I could ask the same question" Steve said and he took his hand off his forearm and it was already mostly healed; it was a bit, not a bullet hole.

"Ha, whatever bub" the man said walking toward him

"What are you doing out here?" Steve asked

"I'll tell you if you tell me what you're doing out here"

"I'm going to get arrested and put in the Gulag" Steve said bluntly

"You arrested, and put into the Gulag. That would be interesting"

"Have we met before?" Steve asked suspicious of the man

"No, but I know who you are. To answer your question, I'm staying out of trouble, or at least I was until you got your candy ass attacked by wolves"

"Staying out of trouble, what are you a fugitive?

"No, I just like being alone"

The man walked past him and toward the thicker forest. Steve turned and looked at him.

"I didn't catch your name" Steve said

The man stopped and he looked back at Steve.

"Its Logan" he said and then he disappeared into the dark forest

Steve didn't know a Logan and he nodded and he turned around and he looked back at the massive prison on the far hill. He had a long way to go.

_**Clint**_

Clint was sitting on the hood of a car and Morse was standing near him and they waited for the Quinjet to land. Clint had a long coat on with purple accents and he had his bow on his back with his quiver. He had Steve's shield sitting against the bumper of the car. Steve had given it to him before he had gotten on Stark's private plane. Clint saw the Quinjet come out of the clouds and it slowed and landed in front of them. Clint side glanced at Morse, who had her cat suit on and it had blue accents and she was holding two metal batons. He saw the bottoms were grooved, he guessed they could be clipped together and used as a staff.

Clint slid off the hood and he grabbed Steve's shield and they both walked toward the Quinjet. Clint was slightly in front of Morse and the back ramp of the Quinjet dropped down and Fury was standing at the top waiting for them.

"Well you two decided to join us" Fury said

"I was convinced to come" Morse said and she walked past Fury

Fury chuckled and he watched as Clint walked up to him. Clint almost passed him and he put his hand on Clint's shoulder.

"We'll get her back" Fury said

Clint looked at him and he frowned "We better" Clint said and he walked on and left Fury at the back of the Quinjet. Fury sighed and he hit the red button on the wall and the ramp came up and sealed shut. Fury walked forward and took a seat.

Clint walked toward the cock pit and he had Bucky in the pilot chair.

"You know how to fly one of these things?"

Bucky looked at him "Yeah, I kind of killed a pilot and then took the ship from him nine months ago" Bucky said plainly like it was old news.

Clint raised his eye brows and nodded and he sat Steve's shield down next the hull.

"At least he talked to you, the only time we talked was by a video cam, and I have to say why do the kids love doing that?" Bucky asked

"How the hell should I know?" Clint said

"I don't know, just spouting words out trying to make conversation" Bucky said

"Well, if you could take off, it would be very helpful" Clint said walking away

Bucky cocked his head and he moved a leaver and the Quinjet lifted into the air. Bucky pressed a few buttons and the Quinjet shot forward and headed toward Russia.

Clint sat towards the back and he glanced over at Hill and he frowned when he saw her giving Bucky the googily eyes. He looked at Fury, who was also looking. Clint motioned at Fury.

"When did that happen?" Clint asked

Fury shrugged and he lightly smiled.

"I'm not saying its weird, just unexpected"

"Yeah an ex-S.H.I.E.L.D agent and the Winter soldier, it takes some getting used to" Fury said softly

Clint lightly smiled and he chuckled "They could make a cute couple" Clint said

"Ha, and this is coming from a guy who just thought it was weird"

Clint lightly shrugged "I think it's already starting to grow on me"

Fury chuckled and he looked at Hill and Bucky.

"Yeah, how the hell is that going to work?"

"No idea" Clint said


	20. Chapter 20

_**Bucky**_

Bucky had spent the next hour checking the utensils on the Quinjet and he was at the very back of the Quinjet looking at the small armory. Bucky was standing near a crate and he opened it and he lifted the hatch. There was pistols and rifles lying in it. Bucky slightly cocked an eyebrow and he grabbed one of the pistols. He looked at it and he lightly gave a sound of approval. He unclipped the mag and he saw that it had ammo in it. He nodded and he slammed the clip back in and cocked the pistol and he put it in his holster on his right thigh. Bucky walked to the left leaving the crate open and he found a smaller box. He unclipped the locks and he opened it and there were seven knives inside. Bucky smiled and he grabbed one and he flipped it around in his hand. He grabbed another one just like it and he put them both into the two knife sheaths on his lower back.

Bucky grabbed another one and he put it in his boot and he tucked it in nicely and he lightly tapped the boot and the knife slightly shifted and it made it more comfortable. Bucky turned as he saw three grenades and he took them and hooked them onto his belt. He turned to see Clint standing there looking at him.

"You're pretty armed" Clint said

"I'm confident that we can get Niko, just I am not going to underestimate him." Bucky said and he grabbed another knife and slipped it into a secret holding socket in his sleeve.

"What is your history with this guy?" Clint asked already knowing the dimmed down version.

"I trained him, if you can believe it" Bucky said and he closed the smaller box

Clint shifted slightly and he crossed his arms "You trained Natasha to" Clint said more than asked

"Yes, I did. I helped her with the no emotion thing" Bucky said grabbing another pistol and putting it on his ankle.

"You made her what she was?" Clint asked

Bucky paused and he exhaled and he felt the guilt starting to spill into his thoughts.

"Yes"

"I don't know if I should shoot you or thank you" Clint said

"I would go with shoot" Bucky said bluntly

"Yet without your training she probably wouldn't have survived as long as she has" Clint said

"Yeah, but she should have had a normal life" Bucky said his voice low

"Not everyone is given that choice" Clint said

"I know" Bucky said thinking back to him and Steve. He inhaled unsettled, and he turned around and he opened another crate.

"She told me what happened in Red Room" Clint said

Bucky froze and he had his hand on the hatch and he lightly let it go and his real hand was shaking slightly.

"And?"

"She honestly can't remember that much" Clint said

Bucky chuckled and he looked at Clint. Clint frowned at him, and why was he laughing?

"She remembers it all, she has just suppressed the memories" Bucky said and he slightly shuttered

"So everything that she has told me is just a small glimpse of what happen back then?" Clint asked

"Yeah, sadly" Bucky said

"Damn" Clint said looking at the floor, what Natasha told him about Red Room gave him nightmares and he could see in her eyes that it was horrific, but to learn that it was even worse, was… sobering.

"Yeah, I wish that I never woke up" Bucky said

Clint looked at him and slightly cocked his head in confusion.

"Woke up from what?"

Bucky hesitated and he lightly nodded and he exhaled "From falling" Bucky said and he slammed the crate's hatch down

"You fell into a deep ravine right" Clint said

"Yeah, and that would be how I lost this" Bucky said confirming Clint's statement and he held his biotic arm up.

"What happened?"

"A rock crushed my arm, after I had already shattered the bones, it was basically being held together by muscle and flesh. The rock just tore it off"

"So why is Niko doing this, besides the fact that he is a complete psychopath?"

"They deemed him a failed experiment, the tests and the experimentations on him made him unstable. Basically, it drove him crazy and then he had violent tendencies"

"That would be why they couldn't control him" Clint said

Bucky nodded in confirmation.

"I gave the advice to kill him, put him out of his misery, but Professor Grigor Chelintsov thought that it would be better to put him on ice and see if advancement in technology could help them control him in the future"

"I'm going to guess it didn't"

"No, actually putting him in ice against his will actually made him crazier, there became this story between the guards that there was this howling spirit in the basement. As it turned out was that Niko was frozen, but he was still awake and screaming"

"How was that possible?"

"Something they did you him made it so that he couldn't be put into cryo and fall asleep"

"How long did they keep him in cryo?"

"About seventy years" Bucky said plainly

"No wonder why he's hell bent on killing you, you could have stopped it all, and by that he meant killing him"

"Yeah" Bucky said and he cleared his throat uncomfortably "So do you want any more information on Red Room?"

Clint looked behind him and he looked back at Bucky "No, I think Red Room should just stay in the past, the things that went down back then aren't important now. The only thing left of Red Room are its sins"

Bucky nodded and chuckled nervously "There sins, are my sins" Bucky said

"Well, then Red Room will always be around" Clint said

"What if they weren't?" Bucky asked Clint as he began to walk away

"Then the world would be a little less frightening"

"We don't have the luxury for such a world" Bucky said

"No, but we can move past it" Clint said walking away.

Bucky was alone in the back of the Quinjet and he stood silently and he felt the sudden loneliness that was deep in his heart. He felt it whenever he was alone, which was most of the time. What would the world be like without Red Room? Bucky had to guess everyone who knew about it would have asked that question. The world would be a little less frightening, yet it would also be a little less defended. For all the horrors Red Room made, one had made it out and found what little light it could. Natasha was the one thing that made it out of that hell hole. Bucky wasn't a product of Red Room, he was a product of Hydra, which had an alliance with Red Room, nothing more. He had a hand in making the Black Widow, and it would always haunt him, but he can find some peace in that the girl he had trained so many years ago could be on the Avengers and saving the world. He felt proud of her in a way. Now Niko had taken her away and he was going to ruin all the good that she had done. Bucky saw in the short time he had talked to Steve what she had done for him, he almost seemed like himself, yet there was always that guilt of what could have been that always haunted Steve like a shadow. Bucky didn't know if he would ever get rid of it, everyone has their demons. Either guilt, regret, anger, fear, or even helplessness. They were always going to be there and always lurking around in the shadows, but Bucky thought that maybe, just maybe that they were there to help people along to discover themselves. It was a cruel way of doing it, but it always made it worth it, to look back on a life and see the good the bad, and how someone got out of the bad, it is truly inspiring to see how people would push through dark times, just to see the light; even if it was only for a short while and then to be thrusted back into the darkness. To wage battle again, either with themselves or others.

Bucky knew that they were in the deepest pit imaginable, but maybe they could see the light, even if it was for a few minutes.

_**Steve**_

Steve was caught up in another blizzard and he was covered in snow. He had his hand in front of his face so he could keep the snow from getting into his eyes. Steve was in snow that was to his knees and he was starting to get cold. Steve wasn't going to stop though, he didn't dare get the thought in his head about stopping. He had a goal and he would die for that goal to be accomplished. Steve grunted a she lifted his right foot out of the snow and he sunk it back down into the white. He could feel his muscles starting to burn. Steve could see a small outpost in the distance. He would cause some trouble there and he would get arrested, and if he was lucky it would be Niko's men and they would take him to the Gulag, if not he could end up in a prison in Moscow.

Steve knew the risk and he was willing to take it, if it meant saving Natasha. Steve would do it a thousand times. He felt the snow start to cut his cheeks and he pulled the collar of the coat close to his face and covered his cheeks. Well at least he looked nothing like Captain America, or Steve Rogers even. He had a beard and his hair was sweaty and flattened. He actually looked like an escaped prisoner. The blitz plan that he thought up could actually work. He also had to talk the part that would mean Russian accent. He remembered one of the first missions that Natasha and he was assigned. They had to be weapon smugglers from Russia. It was a grueling weekend learning Russian from Natasha, but in the end he could now speak Russian, and also sell an accent. Again, if it wasn't for Natasha he wouldn't have made it this far. Steve was determined enough to walk through a blizzard to find her, and he would go through hell to find her if he needed to. Just this one was a frozen hell, Russia really was hell, if it was in a constant winter. He was getting closer to the outpost and he noticed a large assault vehicle driving across a street. Steve paused and he knew those had to be Niko's men. Regular Russians probably would have assault vehicles in a small outpost, especially this far out into the wild. Yet again that was just a theory.

Steve increased his speed and he ran through the snow. He felt the ice cold air travel down his throat to his lungs and it made them burn. Steve grunted and he got past a soldier who was looking in his direction. Steve slowed and he leaned against the side of a building. He stayed as close as he could and he glanced over at the soldier staring out in the direction he had just came from. Steve was lucky that the blizzard had picked up and the snow was quickly filling in his tracks. Steve steadied his breathing and he took a step and he saw the soldier turn his back. Steve saw it as his chance and he quickly snuck over to the small building the man was in. Steve knelt down and he was out of sight.

He knew that the man would come back around and he just had to wait for it. The wind was howling, Steve was hoping it would make the sound of anything harder to hear. Steve kept his eyes on the glass right above his head. He saw a man walk up to the window and he had a fur hat on. Steve inhaled and he closed his eyes and then he popped up. He sent his hand through the glass and he grabbed the man by the throat and pulled him out of the window. The man fell face first into the snow and he struggled and turned over. Steve grabbed him and quickly hit him twice in the face, knocking him out. Steve let go of the man's collar and he looked around and he didn't see anyone. He stood up and he climbed in through the window. He planted his feet firmly on the floor.

Snow fell off of him and it was creating a large puddle under him. He took a step, careful not to make his boots squeak against the floor. He slowly crept around a corner and now he was on carpet. Steve was inside the outpost, but he still needed to get into the Gulag, that would mean not be Captain America and screw up a move. Steve readied himself and he let his last step on the uncarpeted floor squeak loudly. Steve heard mean in doors suddenly stop and become curious and open the doors of their rooms. Steve saw one take a step and he quickly hit the man in the throat and he grabbed his face and brought him down to the floor. He knocked the man's head against the wall knocking him out and making a loud thump.

Steve saw seven men come out all at once. He calculated that a normal person could take out two or three before going down. That meant he had three men to take down, then get caught. Steve saw one come at him and Steve hit him in the ribs and then brought his knee up and hit him in the jaw, sending him back. He fell against his door and the door slammed shut and the man tumbled to the floor. If the first mistake didn't get enough attention, that one did. Steve ducked under a punch and he jabbed the man in the ribs and then hit him in the throat. He was trying not to do anything to fancy. If he did, it would become clear that he was a good fighter. He just had to make normal moved that someone may know.

Steve dodged another hit and he quickly turned and he brought his foot down on the man's toes and he felt them break under his force and he brought the back of his head back as the man leaned forward in pain and their skulls made contact. Steve broke the man's nose and sent him to the ground groaning. Steve saw a man with a stun baton and he knew what to do. Steve swung at the man missing on purpose, and the man sent the stun baton into Steve's ribs and normally it would have taken a lot more than one simple shock to stop him he dropped to the floor like a normal person would have. He lightly shook as he lied on the floor to sell the shocking and the muscle spasms he had seen plenty of times from Natasha's Widow Bite. The men gathered around him and Steve stopped the spasms and he kept his eyes closed, but he was still conscious, the point was to make it look like they took him out.

One of the men laughed and he patted another's shoulder.

"You got him" the man said in Russian

"Take him to Niko, we have another prisoner for him. Tell him that we found a dog trying to escape" the man ordered in Russian

Steve felt hands grab him and pull him up and drag him around a corner. Steve's face was toward the floor and if the men had looked at him a little closer, they would have seen the small smirk on his face.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Steve**_

Steve was dragged into a large garage, well that was a guess on his part. The large room smelled of gasoline and Steve could hear numerous voices speaking Russian. Steve knew that step one was done: get arrested. All he needed to do now was get in without Niko suspecting that he was Captain America. Steve felt the men cuff his hands in front of him and he was lifted into a car or truck. Steve was dragged back and they leaned him against the side or the wall and he heard men climbing into the truck as well. It seemed that they and put Steve into a military transport vehicle, he knew all too well about these types of vehicles. Steve felt the truck rumble to life and then it began to drive forward. Steve had to keep playing the unconscious person and lean with every direction and he slightly went with the pull to the left and he fell over onto his side.

He listened to the men laugh and he knew they were talking about him. He just wish he could just wear some ear plugs. He knew there was a reason why he hated Russia. Steve took the fact that they weren't paying any attention to the unconscious idiot who got caught and who was now pulled out a long nail from the floor. Steve smiled in his mind and he felt a bump and he went up into the air slightly and he used the split second to hide the nail in his sleeve on his sweater. He landed hard and he felt the aching pain in his shoulder and he felt another bump and another. He would have much rather just gone in by force, but he was taking a play out of Natasha's book: let them think that they have you, and when they least expect it; kill them. Steve was trying to think like a spy and not a soldier, even though he was much better at being the soldier, the spy stuff was Natasha's world. Steve had spent two years in her world and he didn't like it very much.

He did agree on the effectiveness of the techniques though. He had learned numerous things over those two years and now he was finally putting them to good use. He felt the truck increase in incline and he knew that they were going uphill. He kept his face on the floor of the truck and he felt the truck turning. Steve kept his eyes closed and then he heard the truck squeak to a stop and as the truck finally stopped the truck lurched and Steve was sent backwards and he went along with the movement and he hit the wall with his back again. Then again he knew he had to sell it and then he knew that his weight would have propelled him forward, so he fell back to the floor face first and he landed on his cheek making a loud thump. Steve heard the men laugh at him again. _Keep laughing, I'll see you soon._

Steve heard the driver talking to someone and then the truck lurched forward and it drove and he felt it turn to the left. Steve heard the sound of the engine suddenly become loud and he knew that they were now inside the Gulag; most likely a transport depot. Steve slowly and softly inhaled and he could smell the awful stench of the place. Steve knew that prison was bad, but he thought that a prison in the U.S. seemed like vacation compared to a Russian Gulag, and he hadn't even opened his eyes yet. Steve listened as the truck's engine died and then the truck came to full stop and he listened as the men slowly shuffled out of the back of the truck. Steve listened and one of them was talking to another about him and how they had found him wandering in their outpost and how he took out four guys. Steve almost thought that he did a little too well for fighting. He heard two men climb into the truck and they grabbed his arms and dragged him out of the truck and they let him fall to the ground. Steve landed hard and he felt his forearms ache slightly from the landing. He kept it together and he acted like he had begun to come to. He slowly opened his eyes and he noticed that two black boots were in front of his face.

"Take him to Niko" one of them said

Steve felt the two men drag him away and Steve opened his eyes and he raised his head and looked around. He looked at the numerous cells and how they traveled up a massive center complex.

"Ha you like? Welcome home dog" one of the men said to him in English.

Steve studied the large spiral of the cells and how at the top, there was a large pad. Steve guessed that was where the Quinjet could land. Steve needed to find Natasha and then get her up there. He exhaled at it and knew it was going to be hard work, but it also mattered on how high up she was or how low. Steve had a hunch that she was near the top, Niko wouldn't let her out of his sight, unless he was stupid.

Steve was dragged into an elevator and it was rusted badly. The metal gate creaked closed and the elevator lurched then quickly shifted upward. Steve knew that if there was an overabundance of weight on it, it would fall. He could use that as an advantage. Steve kept a mental note and then the elevator squeaked and it stopped and the metal gate creaked open. Steve was brought to his feet and then another man who was about his height stood before him. He put his hand on Steve's face and he turned his head to the right then the left. Steve never broke eye contact. The man seemed pleased and he hit Steve in the gut. Steve lurched over and he acted as if the wind was knocked out of him. Steve had to guess that was how people reacted getting the breath knocked out of them. Steve barely felt anything from the man's punch.

"He's through the doors. You're lucky he's in a good mood" the man said

Steve chuckled in his mind and he was dragged toward the doors to the left. Steve tried to look around, but every time he tried a stock of a gun hit him in the face. Steve was now bleeding from the lip, he almost had to thank the guy, and he was just helping sell the look. Steve felt his feet leave grated steel to solid concrete floor. Steve looked over and at the large window Niko was standing with his arms behind his back. The two men stopped and they threw Steve to the ground and Steve let his face hit the floor and he now had a cut on his cheek.

Niko was silent for a while and then he turned around "What is this?" he asked

The man on the left on Steve spoke first.

"We found him in the outpost to the west"

"What was he doing?"

"He took down four men, and then we restrained him."

"Who is he?" Niko said walking down the steps toward Steve.

The man stuttered and then Niko was standing in front of him. Steve had to say that Niko was intimidating.

"Who is he, you did check didn't you?" Niko said

The second man spoke next.

"He seemed like an escaped prisoner"

Niko turned his attention toward the second man.

"Seeming as something, does not make him what he seems to be" Niko said turning his gaze to Steve; who was now on his knees with his hands resting in front of him.

"Do we even know what nationality he is?" Niko asked

The two men stayed silent.

"Of course we don't" Niko said annoyed and he rubbed his eyes. Niko looked at the two men and he motioned to bring Steve to his feet.

The men grabbed Steve by the arms and pulled him up. He was at eye level with Niko and he got close.

"Where are you from?" Niko asked

Steve stayed silent and he didn't break eye contact or blink.

"Do you speak English?" Niko asked next

Steve swallowed and put on a Russian accent: "Not very well" Steve said in a thick Russian accent, his voice sounding very different from his own.

"Oh, so you are from Russia?" Niko asked in Russian

"Born and raised" Steve responded in Russian

"What is your crime?"

Steve needed to think of something horrible.

"Drugs and trafficking women" Steve said

Niko paused then he smiled and laughed "The famous Russian thin to do, how were you caught?"

"By Captain America, in South America" Steve said knowing that would strike a fuse, but he did it on purpose

Niko's smile disappeared and he got close and whispered "To have the notoriousness to get noticed by him is impressive"

"My luck" Steve said

Niko nodded and he chuckled.

"He will do nicely here, put him in the cell block close to the top, a man who hates Captain America could come in handy" Niko said and he turned and walked away.

Steve was kicked in the back of the leg and Steve fell to his knees and they dragged him away. Steve was dragged toward the door and he noticed someone in the corner. They were wearing a black operator suit and it had a weird symbol on it. He squinted and he saw who it was. Natasha was standing there with her arms crossed and she walked forward. Steve felt a sudden jolt of relief and it was quickly extinguished when he saw her leave the light and he could see her face. She didn't look like the Natasha he knew, she seemed different and she was getting closer.

She stopped before him and the two guards were almost shaking in their boots. Natasha bent down and she grabbed his face.

"You seem familiar" she said but her voice was in a Russian accent.

"We've never met" Steve said in Russian

"No we haven't" she said and she walked away

Steve's eyes went wide with horror as they dragged him away from her. What did Niko do to her?

"You like my new friend dog?" Niko said loudly

"She is beautiful" Steve said in Russian

"Yes, and she will help me kill an old friend" Niko said and Steve knew that he was smiling.

Steve was dragged out of the doors and toward his cell. Steve felt his heart racing and he didn't know what to think. Was Natasha brainwashed? That was Steve's best guess, now he had another problem. Well maybe she just didn't recognize him because of he looked, she could be playing Niko. Then again, she probably would have just killed him by now. Steve was thrown into the cell and he was in there with one other guy. Steve pushed himself up and he turned back toward the gate and he walked forward. One of the guards held a stun baton and pointed at him. Steve stopped and looked at him

"Back dog" The man said in Russian

Steve clenched his jaw and turned away.

"Good boy" the man said in English

Steve looked at the guy in the cell with him. He had a hood on and he was sitting in the corner. Steve looked to the right and he noticed that there was a second guy that he hadn't have seen before. Steve took a step forward and he took a seat on a bucket and he looked down at his feet. _How the hell did this happen?_

_**Bucky**_

"Ok guys coming on toward the Gulag" Bucky said piloting the Quinjet through the clouds.

"You're sure they won't see us?" Clint asked

Bucky turned his head toward him. "We are miles above them, in a cloudy night. How will they see us?" Bucky asked

"Never mind" Clint said

"Ok, well now we just wait for Steve's signal" Bucky said keeping the Quinjet in hover mode

"What's the signal?" Morse asked

Bucky turned toward her "No clue"

"Great, no idea what the signal is, this could end badly" she said

"Steve should be in by now, he will find a way" Clint said

"Well you have more confidence in him than I do" Morse said

"I should, Steve knows what he's doing" Clint said

Morse looked at him "Does he?"


	22. Chapter 22

_**Steve**_

Steve sat quietly on the bucket. He didn't want to get into something that could ruin everything. He hardly looked at the two men he was in the cell with. They hadn't moved either, the one in the corner kept his arms crossed and he had his face well hidden. The one sitting down with the hood bothered him the most. Steve would glance over at them, just to see if their posture had changed; it never did. Steve closed his eyes and he quietly inhaled. He almost heeled over from the vile stench of the place. He was thinking about the ways that he could get up there. He needed a distraction, and a good one with enough power to notify Bucky and the others. Steve was at a lost on that though, he didn't have any weapons except the nail he had taken, but was for desperate measures, and Steve wasn't there yet.

The main thing he wanted to focus on was breaking Natasha's brainwashing. With Bucky he had to say something big about the past or a memory. Last time it was his name, which could work because if Niko did succeed, the woman that Steve saw was not Natasha, she was Natalia Romanova, but she was also the same person. Niko just seemed to make her think she is back in Red Room, or something. Steve was grasping at strings. He glanced back up at the man in the dark corner and he came off the wall. Steve raised his head completely and he looked at the man. The man slowly walked forward, Steve stood up and he held his ground. The last thing he needed was a prison tussle. Steve clenched his fists and he saw the man slightly hesitate and slow his pace. Then he continued. Steve took a step forward and then the man sitting on the floor stood up and he was about a foot taller than Steve. Steve turned toward him and he still stood his ground.

Steve looked at the man who started to walk first. He saw a long tail behind him, Steve frowned and he saw the man who stood up put his hand out toward him. Steve stopped the man's arm and he kicked the man low in the knee and he made him fall and Steve put his arms around his throat. He clenched his jaw and held the man by the neck with a firm grasp.

"Back off" Steve said

The man Steve had in a choke hold, suddenly was covered in metal and he grabbed Steve's arm and pulled it away from his throat. Steve grunted, he was strong, but Steve was stronger. Steve threw the man away and he rolled and he stood up and he was in a sleeveless leather outfit and he was completely covered in metal, even his eyes. Steve looked for the second man, but he wasn't to his right like before. He turned to see him behind him. Steve wondered how he had gotten there so fast. Steve swung behind him expecting to hit him, but as his arm whipped around all he hit was air.

Steve frowned at the situation he was in and he closed his eyes and he noticed a silent whooshing noise. Steve heard it behind him then to his left, then in front of him. Steve predicted where he would go next and he put his right hand out and he heard the whooshing noise again, then suddenly felt a man's throat in his grasp and he squeezed. The man brought his hands to hit throat and he had big blue fingers and only four. Steve frowned.

"Back off" Steve said with authority in his voice

The man incased in metal stood up and out of his fighting stance and he spoke. "What are you?"

Steve was confused by the question.

"What gift do you have?" the man asked again

"I don't have one" Steve said clearly not knowing what the man was going on about

He heard the whooshing noise again then it came again.

"Whoa bub, settle down"

Steve looked at the familiar man he had seen outside of the tree line.

"Logan isn't it?" Steve asked

"Colossus, he isn't one of us"

"What do you mean I'm not one of you?" Steve asked

"He is saying you don't have gifts" the man with the long tail said and Steve noticed that he had blue skin as well.

"Who are you?" Steve asked still confused

"We are Colossus, Kurt, and Logan" Logan said

"What are you doing here, I thought you liked being alone"

"I do, but we have business here" Logan said

Steve glanced back over at who he guessed was Kurt.

"What kind of business?" Steve asked

"You may want to take a seat" Colossus said

Steve slightly relaxed and he sat down on the bucket that he was occupying before. Colossus walked over and he clanked against the floor and then the metal disappeared and he looked normal and he took a seat where he was originally was. Kurt popped up at the corner where Steve first saw him. Logan staid standing. Steve studied the unusual group of men were around him.

"Our business here, is we have some friends in this place" Logan said

Steve understood that "How did they end up here?" Steve asked

"Seven months ago, we started having some friends start to disappear" Logan said

"So Niko had captured your friends and is holding them here?" Steve asked

Logan nodded seeing that Steve was following along he continued. "Yes, and we had just got wind of him being here last month. So what are you doing here?"

Steve was silent for a minute, he swallowed and then finally spoke. "I'm here for a friend"

"It seems that Niko likes to take friends" Colossus said

Steve looked at him "I guess yeah, anyway I've got back up" Steve said

Logan's eyes slightly brightened "How many?"

"Five"

"That's it?" Logan said

"It's all we need" Steve said

Logan swallowed "Ok, so who is your friend?"

"You've seen that woman he has with him?"

"Yeah, the red head?"

"Her"

Logan frowned "You do know she is on his side"

"He kidnapped her from us and he brainwashed her, well that's my best guess at what he did"

"Brainwashed?" Logan said

"Yeah, she used to be part of a secret Russian espionage group called Red Room. They had an alliance with Hydra, and Department X." Steve said

Logan's eyes widened "Department X, you're sure"

"Yeah why?" Steve asked

"Let's just say me and Department X have some history" Logan said

"Well, my back up should be here by now, all I need to do is signal them"

"Well then, we better do that" Logan said

Steve stood up and he took a step forward.

"You get your friends, Niko is our problem" Steve said

"Bub, my two friends can get our friends, I'm going to help you get Niko" Logan said

"Whatever you want to do, but we're not capturing him, we're going to kill him" Steve said

"You Cap, kill?"

"I've killed before, I spent a few years in World War 2" Steve said

"Me to" Logan said

Steve looked at him confused "How is that possible?"

"My gift, I have regeneration capabilities and also I don't technically age"

"When were you born?"

"Before the Revolutionary war" Logan said

Steve lightly chuckled, Logan looked at him and raised an eyebrow "What?"

"Nothing, it's just nice having someone older than me for once" Steve said

"Yeah, Kurt can you cause a distraction with the guards?" Logan asked

"Of course I can" Kurt said and he disappeared

"Colossus, we need you to make something explode" Steve said

"On it" Colossus said and he walked forward and he pulled the barred door away and tossed it like it was a piece of plastic.

Steve looked at Logan and Logan shrugged.

"Ok, now we just have to get up there" Steve said

"I'll lead, since your missing your disc" Logan said walking forward

Steve watched Logan walk away "I don't need my shield to fight"

Steve followed Logan out and he saw Colossus jump off the ledge and he flew down. Steve would have been worried, then again the guy was incased in metal. A loud thump came from below then a loud boom and a fire ball flew upward.

"That out to do it" Logan said

_**Bucky**_

Bucky was sitting in the pilot seat and he had his head in his hands. He had his eyes closed and he felt a sudden ach in his head. Bucky slightly stirred and he felt his pulse on the side of his head. He felt his heart rate increase and then he opened his eyes and he was in a large room with dark wood floors. Bucky looked around and he noticed the mirrors in front of him. He saw his reflection and he had short hair. He had the biotic arm and he was in his normal attire that he was in at the present moment in the Quinjet. He tilted his head and he looked at his metal hand. He walked forward and he put the hand against the mirror. He couldn't feel anything with his hand except for the fact that he was touching something.

Bucky heard footsteps behind him and he saw a girl with red hair and emerald eyes. She had long hair and bangs, he looked at her and he felt a sudden urge to grab her. Bucky blinked and he was in the same room, just this time he was looking at himself and Natasha. Bucky watched as they came together and they held each other in their arms. Bucky held her hand in his metal hand and he leaned her back and he lightly kissed her neck. Bucky felt a sudden jolt of pain and he was in an underground facility and Zola was standing before him.

"This is a special day, and you are the reason why we have this day" Zola said

Bucky wanted to grab him by the throat and kill him, but he was in a memory and now he wasn't thinking anything.

"You will be put on ice again, this is the last time I will see you, and you have been our perfect tool. We are now almost strong enough to stand against S.H.I.E.L.D, but we will wait for a little longer, all we have is time"

Bucky felt his legs lift off the ground then he was in an apartment. He was lying in bed and he opened his eyes and he stared at the ceiling. Bucky could feel something warm to his left and he had his left arm against someone. He felt a sudden jolt of sadness seep into his thoughts and he could feel with his left hand again. Bucky turned to the left and a woman was lying next to him. Bucky kissed her shoulder and he turned her around and the sight shocked him. It was Hill, and she had a bullet hole in her face. Bucky put his hand to his mouth and he noticed that he was lying in blood and he pulled the sheet off and he was covered in it. Bucky blinked then he saw Natasha lying next to him instead of Hill and her eyes were gouged out. Bucky leaned back and fell out of the bed and then he saw Steve standing in the doorway and he had a hand through his chest and his heart was in a leaver gloved hand. Bucky say the sneering smile of Red Skull behind him.

Bucky shuttered and he closed his eyes and opened them. He was now in a concrete room and he felt cold, and he noticed that he was lying on a metal table. He heard a drilling noise and then a saw came to his ears. He watched as the saw went down and began to cut into his amputated left arms, cutting off the loose skin and exposed bone that wasn't needed. Bucky felt the pain and he contorted his face in pain and he yelled and he felt his mind snap.

Bucky opened his eyes and he was back in the Quinjet and no one had noticed the nightmare he was having. Bucky leaned back in the chair and he rubbed his eyes. He noticed that he was crying slightly and he wiped the tears away quickly. Bucky looked back and Clint was turning toward him.

"Any sign of Cap's signal yet?"

Bucky lightly yawned and he shook his head "Nothing"

"He should have acted by now" Clint said

"Hey Clint can you switch the display to thermal" Bucky said pointing at a blue button on the other side of the cockpit.

"Yeah sure, why?" Clint asked while he pressed the button

"If Steve is giving a signal, it will most likely be an explosion. I can look down below us, since we're directly above the Gulag. I can see if there is a sudden spike in temperature that could be an explosion."

"Makes sense" Clint said

Bucky nodded and he looked at the display screen and he could see the round prison and it looked normal then there was a sudden flare up of red, then it was a deep red.

"There it is" Bucky said

"Get ready, Steve just gave us his signal" Clint told everyone

Morse sat down and so did Hill. Fury came up and he took Bucky's seat and Bucky stood up and he looked at Clint.

"How close can you get us in there? Bucky asked

"As close as I can" Fury said taking the controls

"Good" Bucky said and he grabbed Steve's shield

Clint felt the sudden drop as Fury directed the Quinjet down and they started to fly through the clouds toward the Gulag. Clint grabbed a hand strap on the ceiling and held on and Fury barrel rolled and the Quinjet got closer to the huge hole in the Gulag.

"Fury, see that huge hole make sure we fly directly over it" Bucky said

"What are you going to do?" Hill asked

Bucky took a step forward and pressed the manual release button for the back ramp.

"Something dramatic I hope" Bucky said and the wind howled and Fury yelled

"On my Mark!"

Bucky readied himself and he put Steve's shield on his back. The Quinjet slowed and banked and it pulled to the left and it made Bucky's stomach slightly flip.

"Three… two… Mark!" Fury yelled

Bucky ran forward and jumped out of the Quinjet leaving them all wide eyed. Bucky felt the wind make his eyes water and eh saw he was going to the opening and Bucky pulled the shield off his back and he aimed in forward and he smashed through a concrete pillar and he landed on a hele-pad and he rolled and he saw a soldier and he ran forward and he grabbed his ankle and flipped him. As the man flipped through the air, Bucky brought his boot on the man's throat in midair and he made him smack into the ground and the man's throat broke under the pressure. Bucky stood completely straight with his boot on a man's throat. He brought his right wrist up to his mouth.

"I'm in"

End of Act 4


	23. Chapter 23: Act 5

_**Steve**_

Fire shot up and it flowed over the railings in the prison and it engulfed the entire complex in black smoke. Steve held his coat to his mouth so he didn't ingest any of the smoke that would hinder his combat effectiveness. Steve waited till the smoke slightly cleared and then he saw alarms flash red and an emergency alarm blared into his ears. Steve could feel his ears ringing, then six of Niko's men walked up. Steve saw that they were armed with stun baton and on had a gun. Steve lightly chuckled in his mind.

Steve side stepped one of them and brought his knee up and hit him in the face, dislocating the man's jaw. Steve kicked him as he fell back and he slammed into another guy and that sent him over the railing and he fell. A loud scream came from his lungs and Steve didn't let it affect him. He swiftly moved on to the next man. He punched him in the ribs cracking them, then he dodged a punch from a man behind him. Steve grabbed the man's hand in front of him and he bent down low and he brought his leg up and swung it and made contact with the man's temple. Steve pulled the man down who he had a grip on and he fell toward the floor and Steve brought his hand up and grabbed the man by the throat and picked him up and used his momentum to slam him back down to the ground. The man groaned, but he didn't get back up. The man with the gun aimed at Steve then he heard a loud snap like noise. Then three blades cut the gun in half. The man turned to see an odd looking man. Logan stabbed the man in the chest and kicked him over the railing.

Logan ducked a punch and he brought his right hand up and stabbed the man in the ribs. Logan quickly and precisely twisted his hand and he cut into the man's heart killing him. Logan turned to the next target and a bullet hit him in the chest. Logan slightly staggered and he growled and ran at the man. The man fired a few more times, but all he saw was a pissed of man with blades coming out of his hands running at him. Logan sliced the man across the face and stabbed him. Steve ran and slid and kicked a man in the lower gut, sending him off his feet and onto the ground. Steve put his feet around the man's throat and Steve grunted and pulled; breaking the man's neck. Logan saw a man about to attack Steve while he was on the ground. Logan ran and dove at the man and stabbed him and took him to the ground.

Steve recovered and he hit a man low in the leg and he felt the man's femur crack under his knuckles. The man leaned down in pain and Steve brought his fist up and hit him in the face, breaking his nose. The man flew back and hit the floor making a loud metal clank. Steve looked around for Logan. He turned when a door opened and Logan walked out and he had two large cuts on his face. Steve could see the bone and Logan groaned slight and then his skin resealed itself. The skin came together and then there was nothing, not even a scar. Steve looked at him and he also saw the metal claws coming out of his hands.

"That's quite a gift" Steve said

"Eh, you get used to it" Logan said and he cracked his neck "Let's go"

Steve nodded and they made their way up and they ran into trouble a level before the landing pad. Steve dodged a punch and he took a foot to the gut and he breathed and he punched the man in the face then gave him two quick jabs to the ribs and then he jumped and brought his foot around and hit him in the face, making him fly into the wall. Logan stabbed a man in the calf and he flipped him. Steve punched him as his face came around and he flew away and smacked into the railing bending it. Logan stood up and he shrugged.

Steve heard footsteps behind him and he jumped and flipped and kicked whoever was behind him. A soldier hit the floor and blood leaked out of his mouth and spilled onto the metal floor. Logan looked back and he looked at Steve.

"I guess no one exaggerated about your enhancements"

"Eh, you get used to it" Steve said walking past him

Logan smirked at the remark and he followed. Logan followed Steve to the main control room. Steve rounded a corner and he could hear a Quinjet banking. He knew that Bucky was here. He should wait for him, but he had Logan. They could take Niko. Steve stood in front of huge blast doors. He lightly tapped it with his hand.

"We aren't getting in through here" Steve said

"Step aside" Logan said

Steve looked back at him and he took a few steps to the left and was well out of his way. Logan took a deep breath and he stabbed the door and he groaned as he pulled his blades down the metal. Veins were appearing all over his neck and what Steve could see of his arms. Logan gritted his teeth and he yelled and he pulled the blades all the way down and he tore them out and stabbed again; this time in the middle. He had a much easier time with the second X he was forming. Logan stood up and he stumbled back and he kicked the doors and they bent inward and almost broke. Logan took a breath and he was about to kick it again.

"Let me" Steve said

Logan stopped his foot and he agreed and he took a step away. Steve stood in front of the doors and he took a deep breath and he brought his foot up and he kicked the door, sending the metal flying forward and toward however was on the other side. Steve and Logan walked in and they found the room to be empty. Logan stood ready and he started to sniff. Steve listened for anything. Logan too a step and a gun fired at him. He rolled out of the way. Steve dove behind cover as well. They heard a deep laugh from somewhere in front of them.

"Have you come to capture me?" Niko asked smiling

"I'm here to kill you" Steve said

Niko paused and he chuckled at the words "I would have it no other way" Niko said and he laughed.

Steve heard someone above him and he looked up and someone dropped down in front of him. Steve dove out of the cover and out of a corner it could have been. Steve looked up and Natasha was standing there. He looked at Logan.

"You handle her, I'll get laughing boy" Logan said

Steve nodded and he looked at Natasha.

_**Bucky**_

Bucky took a step forward and he saw three men come up to meet him. Bucky threw the shield and he hit one of them and he ran forward and he caught the shield and he kicked the other man. He flew away and eh smacked into the concrete wall. The third man pulled out a knife and stabbed at Bucky. Bucky moved the shield and the knife scrapped across it and glanced off. Bucky took the opening and he punched the man in the gut with his biotic arm. He could have sworn that he ruptured a few organs.

Bucky heard a gun cock and he pulled up the shield and bullets hailed at him. Bucky kept the shield up and he slightly nodded at the usefulness of the shield. Bucky heard him reload and he looked out from under the shield and he saw a man fumbling for a magazine. He took the chance to get closer. Bucky ran forward and he jumped and smacked the man with the shield and he flew over the railing and down into the blazing flames. Bucky stopped when he heard what seemed to be thirty guns cocking. He turned around slowly and he saw forty men aiming guns at him. Bucky kept his eyes unblinking, then a he saw an arrow flying down and hit a man in the head and it beeped and exploded. Most of the men were killed, but there were a few lucky survivors. Clint jumped down over a railing and landed and rolled and pulled out another arrow and fired.

Morse came down and kicked on in the head and smack the other in the face with her batons and Bucky heard a loud crack, he thought it was the man's skull. Ok not so lucky. Bucky grabbed one and he kicked him away and then two bullets flew past Bucky and went into a man's chest. Bucky looked to his right and he saw Hill firing two pistols. Bucky lightly smirked and he looked up and he saw Fury firing the main gun of the Quinjet at the Gulag's defenses. Bucky took a step forward and he saw Clint walking back to him.

"Ok, we're in, now what?"

"Well, we haven't gone that far" Bucky said

They heard a grunt from Morse as she smacked a man in the face with her baton.

"What, were we expected to die after two minutes?"

"Actually less" Bucky said

"Well, I'm sure that would only apply to normal soldiers. None of us are normal" Clint said

Bucky tilted his head "That's one way of looking at it"

"Enough chit chat, we need to find Niko" Hill said

"Let's go, we can't expect Steve to fight him all by himself" Bucky said

They all turned to see a large group of soldiers filing up the stairways. They all stopped and stood ready. Clint knocked an arrow.

"Well he just might have to"

_**Steve**_

Steve looked at Natasha and he didn't know what she was going to do, she was hard to read before and now she was impossible. She took a step and Steve took a step. Natasha smiled at him, Steve didn't let it affect him, and he knew what she was doing. He'd seen it enough to know it was a fake smile. She was trying to get him to let his guard down. Steve took a step.

"Hello Rogers" she said, but her voice was accented and she didn't say it like she used to.

Steve felt a shiver down his spine at her voice, he brushed it away and he took another step forward.

"I'm going to enjoy killing Captain America" she said and she smirked

"That isn't going to happen" Steve said more of reassuring himself

"Hmm we'll see"

She ran at him and Steve took a deep breath and she swung at him. Steve blocked her hit and she quickly went to hit him low with her other hand. Steve took a step back and she missed him. Steve didn't want to, but he wasn't fighting Natasha. He swung at her and she dodged and she grabbed his arm and slightly hyperextended it. Steve grunted and she kicked him in the gut. Steve caught her leg as it went away from him. He pulled it up and she came into close proximity of him. He leg was up by his head and she was against him.

"You expecting a kiss" she asked teasingly

Steve shoved her away and he dodged another blow from her. He felt her jab him in the ribs and then her fist hit him in the face. Steve stumbled away and he quickly recovered and he swung and hit her in the face. Natasha was barley fazed by it and she kicked Steve in the leg and then kneed him in the face. Steve tasted blood in his mouth and he looked back at her. She took a step forward and she ran and slid through his leg and smacked him in the inner thigh. Steve groaned in pain and he turned and he blocked her kick and threw her away. Natasha flew into a metal console and she quickly recovered and rolled and she hit Steve in the ribs. Steve put his arm around her abdomen and he picked her up and brought her down onto the console. She hit the console and the screens cracked and she quickly wrapped her legs around Steve head and brought him down toward her.

Steve would have much rather been in this position in bed, but he felt her grip tightening. His face was buried into her stomach and he groaned and he grabbed her leg and he pulled her up into the air. He grunted and he threw her off of him. Natasha hit the floor and rolled backwards and she was up again. She went to punch him but he caught her fist in his hand and she went to kicked him and he caught her leg as well. Natasha struggled to get free, but she couldn't. How did he know her moves?

"If you think I could have done that if this was the first time we met you would be wrong" Steve said with blood leaking out of his nose.

"You've been studying me?" Natasha asked

"No, I've been your partner for three years" Steve said

"Lies" Natasha said and she went to jab him in the ribs again. Steve moved slightly and he dodged the blow and he felt her wrap around his neck, but she couldn't do anything.

"I know that one to" Steve said

Natasha looked at him and she was slightly in shock.

"Your name is Natasha Romanoff, and you are an ex-agent of S.H.I.E.L.D"

"S.H.I.E.L.D is still beginning"

"No, it was taken down by me and you, after we learned that Hydra had been living within it like a parasite"

"Then I should thank Hydra"

"We stopped them"

"Impossible"

"It is 2015" Steve said feeling her nails dig into his neck

Natasha's face went slack and her eyes went wide and she got a flash of New York, but it wasn't the forties, it seemed different and there were weird ships flying around and she was fighting next to the man who had her trapped in his grip. She closed her eyes and then she saw razors and then drills and then she felt pain. She opened her eyes and she looked at Steve and she gritted her teeth and she used the fact that he was holding her to use her other leg and hit his knee. Steve let go of her and she broke free and she kicked him in the face and Steve slid across the floor and smacked into the wall. Steve lightly coughed and he felt blood fill his mouth and he groaned and he sat himself up and he saw her walking toward him.

_Well that hit a nerve._

**Author's note: Sorry for not updating for a while, I've been busy being sick, I'm feeling better now. The story can continue, Review.**


	24. Chapter 24

_**Niko**_

Niko watched as Natasha dropped down in front of Rogers. Niko let his rifle fall to his left hand and he took a step forward.

"You handle her, I'll deal with laughing boy" he heard Logan say.

Niko smiled and he watched as Logan came out of cover and he released his blades and he ran at Niko. Niko stayed calm and he breathed slowly and as Logan was upon him he quickly hit his right hand away and dodge the quick left. Niko kicked Logan in the gut and sent him back. Logan grunted and he slashed at him and he dodged out of the way and jabbed Logan in the jaw. Logan seemed to be getting angrier. Niko kept a smile on his lips the entire time. Logan kicked Niko in the knee and he caught him. Niko leaned forward and Logan stabbed him in the chest.

Niko came back up and he had his eyes wide and he was gasping for air. Logan was breathing heavily and he knew that he had got him. Niko let blood fall out of his mouth and he grimaced in pain and he fell away from Logan's blades and he hit the floor. His eyes closed and he wasn't moving. Logan stood over him and he lightly kicked him in the leg, seeing if he was trying to trick him. Logan cocked an eyebrow at Niko's lifeless corpse and he sighed and he looked over to see Steve fighting Natasha. He took a step to go help and then a hand grabbed his ankle. He looked down and Niko was back and he was smiling and he stabbed Logan in the calf.

Logan groaned and he stumbled away as Niko pulled out the knife. Logan felt burning pain in his calf and gritted his teeth and he noticed that he wasn't healing. Logan leaned against the wall and blood leaked out of his wound and covered his boot. He stared as the red liquid flowed onto the floor. He looked up at Niko and he was standing up. He wiped blood away from his mouth and he smiled. Logan looked at his chest wound and the skin resealed itself. Niko chuckled and he pulled out another pristine shiny knife like the one Logan had just been stabbed with. They had an unusual shine to them.

"Come on, I can do this all day" Niko said

Logan took a step forward and he winced in pain as he put pressure on his leg. "Like the knives, Department X gave them to me, they're the same metal as your entire body"

Logan glared at him and he took a step forward and kept the pain from him and he released his blades. Niko smiled and he ran at Logan. Logan swung and he met Niko's knives and he was right they were the same metal as his. Niko slid one down one of Logan's blades and cut his hand. Logan groaned and blood leaked out and he wasn't healing again.

"This levels the playing field a bit" Niko said and he kicked Logan.

Logan fell backwards and smacked into railing and it broke away and he fell to the floor a foot below. Niko slowly walked forward and he waited for Logan to get back up. He looked and he couldn't find him. Niko looked around and then blades came up and stuck into his foot. Niko gritted his teeth and he grabbed Logan's hand and lifted him up and he stabbed at him. Logan blocked the knife away and stabbed Niko in the forearm. Niko exhaled slowly and he head butted Logan.

Logan kicked him and Niko grunted and threw Logan across the floor. Logan rolled into a wall and eh quickly recovered and he was ready again. His calf was healed now. Niko ran at him and Logan at him. Niko brought the knives low and he ran at Logan and yelled. Logan aimed his up high and they met in the middle. Niko sunk his into Logan's abdomen and Logan stabbed Niko in the shoulders. Niko grunted and he watched as Logan struggled to breathe and he chuckled. He head butted Logan and he punched him in the face leaving the knife in his abdomen. Niko dropkicked him and he pushed himself back up to his feet and he ran and jumped at Logan and he grabbed his neck and brought him down. Logan hit the floor on his back and he groaned in pain and Niko grabbed the knives and pulled them out. Logan gasped in pain and he groaned. Niko grabbed Logan by the neck and was about to stab him in the throat. Logan brought his left hand up and stabbed Niko in the thigh.

Niko howled in pain and he grunted and he punched Logan in the jaw and then the chest. Logan kicked him off of him and he pushed himself up. Niko rolled back up to his feet and turned back toward Logan. They both stared at each other and Logan didn't know if he could beat him by himself. Niko waked toward him and Logan stood up straight and lightly gasped as his two abdomen wounds pulled.

Logan growled and he ran at Niko; Niko was ready and he swung at him. Logan dodged it and slashed Niko across the face and he tackled him through a window. They fell out into the cold air and landed on a large wooden platform. Logan rolled and pushed himself up and he gritted his teeth and he released his blades. Niko got up and he held his two knives. Niko ran forward and he dodged a blow from Logan and blocked another. He twisted and elbowed Logan in the face. Logan grunted and caught Niko in the shoulder and stabbed him and flipped him over. Niko hit the wood hard and a board broke and fell away. Niko put his hands in front of him and pushed and he slid out from under Logan and he came up and tackled him to the ground.

They both hit the wood and rolled and made two more boards break and fall away. Niko punched Logan in the jaw and stabbed him in the gut. Logan head butted Niko and Niko let go of the knife and he rolled over dazed. Logan got up and he stabbed Niko in the chest again and he picked him up and threw him over the edge. Niko aimed his wrist and a grapple hook fired out and he caught the stone wall behind Logan and he propelled himself forward. Niko brought his feet up and kicked Logan as he shot forward. Niko's feet hit the stone wall and eh pushed off and flipped backwards and he landed and turned and swung the knife and caught Logan in the upper chest.

Logan grunted and he swung and stabbed Niko in the shoulder and he kneed him in the gut. Niko caught the knife still in Logan's gut and when Logan pulled his knee away the knife came out. Logan gasped in pain and he growled and he slashed Niko across the face and he stabbed him in the chest with both his hands. Niko grunted and he sunk the knife into Logan's ribs and he twisted and he punctured a lung. Logan pulled his blades out of Niko's shoulders and he gasped for air. Logan stumbled back and Niko stood and his face healed.

"Get out of my prison" Niko said and he ran forward and kicked Logan off the platform and Logan fell down and hit the rocks a few hundred feet below. Niko cracked his neck and he went back to the window they had fallen out of and he pulled himself up.

_**Bucky**_

Bucky grabbed Hill by the waist and swung her around and she kicked one of the soldiers they were dealing with in the throat and broke his neck. Bucky let her go and she caught her footing and she shot two more. Clint rolled and stabbed a soldier in the leg with an arrow and he brought his head up and hit the man in the chin and the man fell to the ground limp. Morse ducked and dodged a blow and she jabbed at the man's ribs with the baton and they crack and she hit him in the face twice and kicked him away. Bucky ran and jumped and tackled two to the ground and he rolled to his back and put his arms into the air and brought them both down and hit the men in their faces.

Bucky stood back up and he backed up into Hill's back.

"Well this is fun" Bucky said and he kicked one away from him.

"Mine definition of fun and yours are very different" Hill said reloading her pistols.

"Well, I wouldn't mind learning how to have fun from you" Bucky said teasingly

"I don't think this is the place to start bantering" Hill said and she kicked a man and then shit him and she punched another.

"Well, we might not make it" Bucky said and he blocked a blow with the shield and he kicked the man in the leg and made him fall to the floor and Bucky slammed the shield down onto his spine.

Hill swung her leg around and hit a man who was about to hit Bucky. He tumbled to the left and hit the ground. Bucky came up and blocked a punch and he countered with the shield. Bucky grabbed the man with his biotic hand and he picked him up by the throat and he kicked him away. Clint was standing the farthest away and he was firing arrow after arrow. Clint grunted and fired another and he was caught off guard by a man behind him, who had a knife and clearly flanked him. Morse threw her baton and it made contact with the man's nose and broke it with a loud pop. The baton fell toward the floor and Clint kneeled and aught it and he smacked the man with two quick blows to the ribs. Clint tossed the baton back at Morse and gave her a nod. Morse nodded back and she sidestepped and grabbed a man by the arm and pulled it forward and he grimaced as his arm was hyperextended. Morse brought her leg up and hit him in the gut.

Morse took her baton and smacked him in the face with a grunt. Bucky looked at the mess they were making. They needed to get past this and find Niko, and help Steve. Bucky looked around and he saw a large hallway to the far left of the large room. Bucky noticed that men weren't filing out of it, they were defending it. Bucky looked at Hill "You guys got this? I need to help Steve"

Hill reloaded her pistol and cocked it back "Yeah, just don't take too long" Hill said firing

"When do I ever take too long?" Bucky asked smirking and he ran forward.

Hill slightly rolled her eyes at him and she fired two more rounds.

Bucky ran down the small stairs that led to the main walkway that lead to the hele-pad that they were on. Bucky ran a man over and he didn't slow. Bucky noticed that they had an idea of what he was doing and they started to make a large group before the hallway he needed to get down. Bucky increased in speed and he pushed himself to the limit and he felt his legs start to burn. The men had formed a good wall with rifles and they all had their cross airs on him. Bucky brought the shield up and kept running. He heard them scream in Russian and they fired. Bucky felt a little bit of resistance in front of the shield, but he kept running.

Bucky felt on graze his side and he felt it burn and he grunted as another bullet hit the side of both his thighs. Bucky put his metal hand on the inside side of the shield and kept it steady and he ran through the large group of men. Bucky felt large objects being tossed away from the shield and he broke free from the group and he was clear. He quickly shifted the shield onto his back and he kept running. More bullets hit the shield while it was on his back. He rounded the corner and made it into the hallway.

_**Steve**_

Steve blocked a punch and then a knee. He touched her thigh and he shoved her leg away. Steve had to keep his feet moving, or she would get him into a corner and trap him. Steve blocked another punch and he countered with grabbed her arm and swinging her around and he put his hand on her back and shoved her forward. Natasha stumbled, but she quickly was upon him again. He needed to slow her down somehow, or just get her to get out of the brainwashing. Steve grunted as she hit him in the ribs for the twentieth time. He took another punch to the face and then a foot to the jaw. Steve came back and punched her in the face and head butted her.

Natasha retreated slightly and then she was sliding across the ground and she hit him in the lower gut. Steve stumbled back and he hit the floor on his back. Steve pushed himself and rolled back up backwards and then her knee hit him in the face. Steve fell back onto his back and Natasha stood over him and she aimed her pistol at his head.

"I thought you were the greatest soldier" she said in her heavy Russian accent

Steve cracked his jaw and he lightly gasped by the pain in his side; his ribs were cracked. "I'm just going easy on you" Steve said

"Then don't"

Steve knew that if their places were switched she would have taken him down in the first five minutes. He needed to get his head together and get her incapacitated. Steve kicked her legs out from under her and he caught her and he brought her down onto his knee. Natasha grunted in pain and she fell next to Steve. Steve closed his eyes and he brought his elbow down onto her gut. Natasha lurched forward and she coughed. Steve pushed himself up and he kept the small jolts of searing pain from his mind so he wouldn't appear hurt; she could use that to her advantage.

Natasha pushed herself up and she felt her stomach ache with a dull pain and she knew that he had bruised her ribs, but she kept the pain from her face. He could use her pain as an advantage.

Steve was breathing heavily and he was quickly back to blocking blows and making small counter strikes. Natasha was getting tired of his little attacks. She pulled out a knife and she slashed at him. Steve dodged a few and she caught him in the upper arm. Steve's right hand flew to his left tricep and warm blood was leaking out. He swung at her and she blocked it and Steve hit her in the side and he kneed her in the chest. Natasha felt the air extinguish from her lungs and she struggled to breathe. Natasha coughed and she ran forward and tackled him over a railing. They both fell down to the floor below and she landed on her back. Steve fell face first and he landed on her. His face was buried into her breasts and his hands were on her upper arms.

Natasha felt his warm breath against her breasts and she felt the world become warm and she wasn't in that dark room anymore. She was in an apartment and she was walking toward a door slowly and she put her hand cautiously on the knob and turned it. The door swung open and Steve was standing there and he looked concerned. Then her hands were on his face and they were kissing and she could taste his toothpaste and she felt a warm wave rush over her body and her ears were on fire and she felt her heart rate increase. She was slammed up against the door and she felt his arms around her and she moaned softly and she felt his soft lips kiss her neck.

Natasha opened her eyes and the man's face was buried in her breasts and she felt a sudden arousal between her leg and she shook her head and blinked and then she felt anger. Steve pushed himself up and he had blood running out of his nose. Natasha kicked him off and she kicked him in the ribs. Steve groaned as he felt them break. Steve caught her last kick and he pulled her down and he hit her in the gut and tossed her away from him. He quickly got back up and he felt his side shoot searing pain up to his brain and he lightly gasped. Natasha stood and she was shaking her head and she looked at Steve and she had her hand on her head. Then she looked at him and her eyes were full of tears. "Steve" she said softly

Steve felt his heart jump then her eyes changed and she was back to her brainwashed state. Steve spit blood out of his mouth and Natasha ran at him and punched him in the face and then the ribs. She knew they had been broken from her last kick and now she was going to use it as an advantage to kill him.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Bucky**_

Bucky felt his muscles strain and he gritted his teeth and he grimaced in pain as his arms burned. He pulled a large metal door shut and he heard it seal shut and he let go and he felt the pain in his muscles recede. Bucky took a breath and walked forward and he made it two steps when he felt a painful jolt in his head. He gasped and his hand shot up to his head and he felt the pain pulsing. He groaned and leaned against the wall. He gritted his teeth as the pain became more severe as he went along. "Not now" Bucky struggled to say and he collapsed to the floor.

Bucky could only feel the cold floor and nothing else, all sound had faded away and all smell had dissipated. He tried to move, but it only made it worse. His head was still pulsing and he felt his eyes become heavy and he saw the world dim before him. The last thing he could think of was a winter long ago.

_1957_

_Bucky felt a jolt of warmth, then he was covered in water, or sweat. He couldn't tell the difference. He felt as if a wall had open in front of him and he fell forward. Hands caught him as he fell and some left, while others helped support him. He blinked and his vision slowly came back to him. He saw the darkness slowly fade away and the color was in black and white. He blinked a few more times and his eyes hurt from the lights in the large room. That was a guess, he could be in a house and wouldn't know, but he could make a good guess. Bucky was carefully walked over to a table and he sat on it and his legs were hanging down toward the floor._

_Bucky noticed that his hair was longer than before, water dripped off of it steadily and a doctor stood in front of him._

"_Let's see if any damages have been attained" he said and he put a small flashlight to Bucky's eyes to see if his pupils were reacting to the light correctly. _

_The doctor ran more tests, but Bucky was in a daze half the time. He couldn't remember what they did after the light was shown into his eyes. He felt warm, but his insides seemed to be freezing. He felt his lungs ache every time he took a breath. He was then lying down on a table and he was beginning to feel warm, but he was in a different room. He must have been moved and he hadn't realized it._

_Bucky saw another bright light and then he was in a warm bed and he woke up in a dimly lit room. He noticed that he was in his usual attire and he slowly sat up and climbed out of the bed. He stood and he felt like he hadn't moved in years. He blinked and then he was a completely different setting. He was in a mansion and he was standing on a balcony overlooking a large room and they had one person down there with other people he didn't recognize, but he did know one of them. He looked down at Natalia Romanova and they gave her a gun and a man was sitting in front of her with a bag over his head. They spoke of what he had done and who he was; nothing important. Bucky had trained her to let go of emotion and hide it, and also how to manipulate people. Then he heard what they always made her say: "I'm the best"_

_Then a gunshot ran through out the mansion and Bucky heard the bullet break into the man's skull and make his brain turn to mush. Bucky heard the voice of a woman that he hated._

"_Good job girl, you are trained not to think or to feel when tasked to kill, and you have shown it brilliantly"_

_Bucky felt like shooting her, funny how he had actually slept with that woman. Well it was years ago now and she was less… bitchy. That was the only word he could use describe her at the moment. He sighed and he looked down at Natalia and she looked up at him, knowing that he would be there. He saw her face and her bright green eyes and he smirked and she gave him a smirk back. He had to admit there were only two reasons why he ever helped Red Room. One he like Natalia and he was proud of her, and secondly Niko had shown some true promise. He just hoped that they hadn't messed with him while he was under._

_Present time_

Bucky groaned and the world slowly became more lit and he could smell the disgusting taste of the prison. Bucky stood up and he took a step forward and he noticed someone walk out in front of him. He stopped and he noticed that it was Niko. Niko turned toward him and smiled.

"You having problems my old friend?" Niko asked, sure that he saw what had just happened Bucky stayed silent.

"Well, your friend is. Natalia is really hurting him, well that maybe because he isn't trying to hurt her" Niko said

"Why involve her in this, this is about you and me?" Bucky finally said

"No, it involves all three of us. We are the last surviving members of Red Room, and for Red Room to be finally destroyed, it must come with our deaths" Niko said

"Really, you are going to kill us both and then take your own life, you're so full of shit" Bucky said

"Maybe, but it doesn't matter I died in 1957 and now I'm an empty shell wandering around waiting for the seams to tear and the world fall apart."

"We all died in Red Room" Bucky said knowing that it was true a part of his died in that place and he had assuredly killed a part of Natasha in that place as well.

"Our souls, but not out bodies, we must take the next step to find true peace, and that will only come with death"

"Maybe, or we could find something here that makes life a little more bearable" Bucky said thinking about Hill.

"I see you will not comply willingly, I expected as much, especially from you" Niko said

"Niko, I'm going to stop you and I'm going to get Natasha back" Bucky said

Niko smiled and laughed loudly, Bucky looked at him suspiciously

"I have spent years perfecting my technique, the brainwashing will never go away"

"The mind can always repair itself" Bucky said

"Not if it thinks nothing is wrong with it" Niko said

"Brainwashing only goes so far Niko, there is always a way back"

"For you maybe, but not for her. I'm going to tell you something. Listen very carefully, it is the only way you will save Natasha Romanoff from becoming her true self. If you can stop me"

_**Clint**_

Clint hated cleaning up, he pulled an arrow out of a man's back and he put it back into his quiver. The entire prison's guards (Niko's men) were either gone or dead. Clint walked past Morse and he made his way to the hallway that he saw Barnes run into. He rounded the corner and he was met with a large metal door that was sealed shut. Clint guessed that Barnes sealed it so Niko couldn't escape. Much help they were going to be, now it's just Bucky and Steve. He hoped Steve found Natasha and that she was alright. He had spared her life so she could get away from Red Room. Now she was being pulled back into it. Clint sat down and he sighed and he noticed how tired he was.

Morse walked over and sat down next to him and she had blood splattered over certain parts of her suit and her hair had some red in it that weren't highlights. She looked at him.

"That was fun" she said

"Yeah, let's not do it again" Clint said

Morse chuckled and she smiled at him "Barton, there is something I have to tell you"

Clint looked at her curious "What?"

"I will admit when I first met you, I hated you"

"Wow using the word hate, you just met me" Clint said teasingly

"Yeah, but with the job I have its stressful and you were very stressful"

Clint smiled "I know someone who would agree to that" he said and his thoughts drifted to a warm slightly peaceful house.

"Well, then we would agree on something"

"Yeah, you two would hate each other" Clint said knowing how the two of them would react to each other

"I'm hated by a lot of people, I guess I'm just used to it"

"Well, here's one person who doesn't hate you"

Morse smiled and chuckled at him "I just find you annoying" he added

"Thanks" she said not sure if she should take that as a complement or an insult

"Otherwise, you're not so bad" Clint said

"Well thank you, I guess"

"What do you do exactly?" Clint asked

"I investigate dirty agents"

"Oh so like an internal affairs, but spy agency level?"

"You would be correct"

"I guess a lot of people would hate you"

"Yeah"

"Well maybe I'll swing by once and see all the fancy equipment" Clint said

"It's nothing as fancy as whatever Stark has in that tower of yours"

"Morse I barely know what we have in that place"

"Bobbi" Morse said

"What?"

"My name it Bobbi" she said and she smiled awkwardly

"Oh, well mine is Clint. Sadly you already knew that"

"Well, we might want to get Fury to land here" Bobbi said looking up and she noticed that the sky was becoming lighter.

"Yeah, and we need to get that door open in that hallway"

Clint stood and then the floor rumbled and fire came up and shot against the stone and turned it black. Clint fell backwards and Bobbi fell with him. They both hit the ground hard and Clint noticed that Hill was also lying on the floor.

"What the hell was that?" Bobbi asked

Clint looked at her and he was completely unsure of what had just happened "No idea, but we need to find a maintenance room"

"Why?" Hill asked

"To see if something is wrong with anything" Clint said

"Well, we better hurry, because it seems that the fire is getting higher" Hill said looking over the railing and the flames were increasing and they were getting closer

"Something must be wrong, what did Steve explode for a diversion?" Clint asked

"Don't know" Hill said

"Ok, well this could be very bad" Clint said

_**Steve**_

Steve felt her warm fingers around his throat and they squeezed. He grunted and he took in a breath and he hit her with his elbow and kicked her away. Natasha rolled backwards and came back onto her feet and she ran at him. Steve knew what she was going to do and he took two steps. Natasha jumped at him and Steve was ready and he caught her and he was about to throw her when she shocked him with her Widow's bite. Steve grimaced in pain and he felt her legs tighten around his waist and he saw her lean back and then bring her head up. She made contact with Steve's nose and broke it.

Steve grabbed her and he head butted her and she let him go and she fell to the floor and rolled and got back up. Steve felt blood flowing down his nostrils and he spit as it touched his lips. Steve swung at her and she blocked it and he countered with a knee and she blocked it as well. Steve had fought Natasha before, but this wasn't Natasha, it was Natalia and he remembered in their first year as partners that she said that she could be more ruthless than she already was. When he asked about it, she gave him the normal shoulder shrug and then the smirk she likes to hide behind and she said: "It's complicated". Natasha brought her foot up and hit him in the knee. Steve fell down to his knee and then another knee made contact with his jaw.

He felt his head fly back and he fell over. He felt his jaw was slightly dislocated. He pressed the right side with his knuckles and it popped back into place. Steve saw what was coming next; a kick to his broken ribs. Steve stopped her foot and then she brought her hand down and shocked him when she got to his neck. Steve let go of her foot and then she slammed her foot down on his hand and he felt two fingers break. Steve grunted in pain and he countered by jabbing her in the ribs and then got to his knees and he put his left hand to her right knee. He took his right hand with two broken fingers and he felt around for her side of the knee and he hit her hard. Her knee cracked and she let out a painful scream. He felt tears come to his eyes and he hoped he never had to hear that scream again. He hit her with enough force to crack her leg, but it would heal just fine, but it would be very painful to walk on. Natasha gasped for air as she let all the rest out with the painful scream and she winced as she put very little pressure on her leg. Steve stood up and head butted her and she flew back and hit a wall and fell down. He back was against the wall and she had a pained face on. Steve walked forward and he knelt down next to her and he saw that she was going to be able to move like before, at least for a little bit. Her eyes were flaring with anger and pain and he was breathing heavily.

She grabbed him by the throat and he didn't fight back. She wanted to crush his larynx and kill him, but something was stopping her. She was angry at him and she wanted to kill him, but some weird part of her could see the pain in his eyes and she stared as a tear fell out of his eye and she squeezed more. Who the hell was this man? She felt like she knew him, and also back when he was on top of her something else made her guard go down and she felt warm and peaceful. It felt like something was in the back of her mind and was telling her something. She kept trying to squeeze his throat, but no matter what she did she couldn't squeeze any tighter.

She suddenly felt tears coming to her eyes and she closed them and they burned. She felt herself leave and then she was back. Steve looked at her and her eyes opened and it was Natasha, the one he had saw before when he had broken the brainwashing for a split second.

"Steve" she shuttered and she noticed that her hand was on his throat and she let go and she was in shock of what she was doing.

Steve put his hands on her face "Hey, hey its ok" Steve said and he rested his forehead against hers.

Natasha noticed that he had a broken nose, did she do that? Blood was also dry on his tricep. She felt cold and she noticed that her leg was broken and it hurt like a bitch.

"Did you…?"

"I'm sorry, it was the only way I could stop you" Steve said and he let more tears fall down his face.

"You came for me" Natasha said

"It's what partners do" Steve said smiling through tears

"I was pulled out, Niko he took me away and replaced me with something else"

"I know, its ok" Steve said rubbing his hand through her hair and he lightly wiped a tear away from her cheek.

"Is it broken, or am I just going to be here for a few more seconds?" Natasha asked scared of herself

"I think so, but I'm not sure" Steve said

Natasha swallowed and she felt how dry her throat was. "I wish I could have said this under better circumstances"

Steve lightly chuckled.

"I love you" Natasha said softly

"I love you to" Steve said and they both closed their eyes and rested their foreheads together.

Natasha felt weird why was she crying? She was trained not to cry or feel, and right now she was a mess. Natasha suddenly turned it all off and she opened her eyes and she was looking at the man again that she was going to kill.

Steve knew that it was Natasha and he didn't care and he saw her reach for her knife and he closed his eyes. Natasha took the blade and stabbed him in the chest. Steve felt the cold metal go through his flesh and he kept the pain back and he looked at her and he saw nothing in her stare, no emotion and no remorse. Steve fell onto his back with her knife sticking out of his chest.


	26. Chapter 26

_**Natalia**_

_Natalia watched as the man she stabbed fell onto his back and he didn't move. She knew that he wasn't dead, not yet. She knew she should be happy, she had completed her mission objective. Then why did she feel this pang of guilt that flowed over her body as she stared at the man's body lying limply on the ground? She didn't even know the man, and he seemed to care about her, a lot. She never say that before, other than Winter Soldier, he cared about her, but from a teacher to student stand point. This man who was lying on the ground, dying, seemed that he actually loved her. He was sorry for hurting her, Natalia had never run into that. She was trained that emotions were a weakness._

_Were they a weakness, or was that just them trying to indoctrinate her into thinking that emotions make her weak. She put her hands to her head and she didn't know what to do. It seems that nothing is wrong, but something clearly is. Natalia felt a tear come to her eye. What is happening? She couldn't stop the feelings, she looked at the man on the floor and her heart felt broken, she slowly crawled over to him, wincing when she put little pressure on her leg. Natalia put her hands on his chest and his eyes shot open. Natalia hesitated and she said the first thing that came to her mind: "Hi"_

_He stared up at her and he was breathing fast "Hi" he said and he coughed._

"_How do I know you?" Natalia asked_

_He paused and she knew that he knew that she wasn't Natasha._

"_I'm your partner" he said_

"_In where?"_

"_Work, and out of work" he said and he coughed again_

_Natalia paused for a second and she blinked "Are we in a relationship, I mean is Natasha in a relationship with you?" Natalia asked_

_The man nodded his head and he slightly winced as he moved his arm._

"_How did I get you?" Natalia asked_

"_You had me, from the first time I looked at you" Steve said_

"_You say this is 2015, and life seemed good for me" Natalia said looking around and her eyes came back to him._

"_It is" Steve said coughing_

"_Then I don't want to be here" Natalia said_

_Steve looked at her slightly confused "Can you bring Natasha back?" Natalia asked_

"_I'm not sure" Steve said_

"_Well it was working before, do something that solves the problem that is in my head"_

"_What is the problem?" Steve asked_

"_I feel like I shouldn't be here, I had my time, and this life, Natasha's life seems nice."_

"_You do know you're the same person right?" Steve asked_

"_I know, it's just I would rather be a memory than a true thing. I'm a monster"_

"_You're not a monster, you have a dark past, and you can't let it control you" Steve said_

"_You've said that before" Natalia said_

"_Yeah, and I know what happened at that school that haunts you so much" Steve said_

_Natalia looked away from him and she saw the images of kids burning and she stood there and did nothing, she just turned off her emotions and watched as they screamed in pain, and she did nothing. "You not disgusted with me?"_

"_No, I can forgive things that seem unforgivable. It was a long time ago, and you are truly sorry for it, you shouldn't be hated for it. You were trained by cruel people that wanted nothing for you, but a gun and the next mission."_

"_You have a way with people don't you?" Natalia asked_

"_You keep telling me that" Steve said smirking_

"_Ok, well I'm going to save you" Natalia said_

_Natalia looked at the knife in his chest and she grabbed it and she looked at Steve and he gave her a nod and she pulled it out. He gritted his teeth and he grunted in pain. Natalia put her finger around the wound and she pressed slightly and she looked at Steve "This is going to hurt"_

"_Just do it" he said_

_Natalia put her finger into the wound and she felt around and she looked at Steve's face and he had his eyes closed and his face had no emotion in it. Natalia took her finger out of his wound._

"_Well you are lucky that was the worst stab of all time" Natalia said_

"_What?"_

"_I missed your heart and hit all body cavity"_

"_Thanks I guess"_

_Natalia chuckled "Ok I'm going to cauterize it" she said_

"_Here use this" Steve said holding out a nail to her_

_Natalia took it and she tore a piece of cloth that was from his sweater. She pulled out a lighter from his pants. "Where did you get these clothes?"_

"_From a very disgusting shop owner somewhere in Russia"_

"_Well you are lucky he had a lighter"_

"_Well I'll thank him afterward"_

"_Ok, this is going to hurt"_

"_I can take, it I've been through worse"_

_Natalia looked at him and she nodded and she flipped open the lighter and she made the flame come out of it and she held the nail to the flame. She waited for a few minutes and it was hot enough to burn skin. She tossed the lighter away, not caring where it went. Natalia slowly moved the nail to his wound and she looked at him one last time and he nodded and she put the hot nail to his skin and it burned. Steve gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw. Natalia took the nail away and she looked at it and it was cauterized._

"_Sorry about the ribs"_

"_Don't worry, they're mostly healed already"_

"_Right your serum, I wish they put that in mine"_

"_Everyone does" Steve said and she held out a hand to him and he took it and she helped him sit up._

"_I'm still here" she said_

"_I know, and it was nice to talk to you" Steve said_

"_You don't mean that" Natalia said and she looked at his blue eyes and she felt herself slightly become lost in them._

"_I mean that" Steve said and he put his hand on her face_

_Natalia had never had this kind of affection, and she felt a pang of regret that she never will. Natalia didn't know what she was doing and her hands shot forward and grabbed his face and kissed him. She took him off guard and she felt his lips against hers and then his arms wrapped around her and she could feel his warmth around her and she felt herself leave and she was taken away, but she was sad to go. She knew that it was for the best and she wished she had just one day with him, after one conversation, she would have followed him anywhere. He did have a way with people._

Steve held her in his arms and they came apart and he looked into her eyes and Natalia was gone and Natasha was back. Natasha had tears flowing down her eyes and she kissed him again. Steve held her close and he felt her close to him and he had forgotten where they were.

"Wait, I need to get you out of here" Steve said

"Then take me home" Natasha said and she rested her head against his shoulder and she never noticed how she missed his hugs.

"Yes ma'am"

Steve grabbed her and he put his left arm under her legs and he grabbed her by the mid back and picked her up. He kept the pain of his half healed ribs back and he carried her and he began to walk forward.

_**Clint**_

Clint was staring at the flames as they began to climb higher. Well at least the prison was going to be destroyed, but at the moment with them still in it. Clint looked behind him and he saw three huge fuel storage tanks. He rolled his eyes, great. Clint walked over to Bobbi, who was talking to Hill.

"Anything?" Clint asked

Bobbi glanced at him and she said something to Hill and turned toward him "Yeah, the maintenance room is below us, and it is full of flames at the moment."

Clint exhaled "Of course, well we need to get out of here, we have three fuel storage tanks over there and fire is climbing"

"Yeah it didn't help that the prison had a huge fuel depot at the bottom and that is what exploded" Hill said

"This just keeps getting better and better" Clint said

They stood around not entirely sure of what to do when a loud metal bang came from the hallway that Bucky ran down. Clint looked at the hallway and he pulled out one of his last arrows and he walked forward slowly. Another loud bang came and echoed throughout the prison and then another. Clint got to the corner and he leaned up against the wall and he peeked around the corner and he saw three huge dents in the sealed metal door. Clint didn't like the look of that then another dent appeared with a loud bang. Clint walked away from the wall and back toward Hill and Bobbi.

"Someone is coming out of the sealed door"

"Bucky?" Hill asked

"No idea, but he had a metal arm so it is most likely him." Clint said

Another loud bang came and Clint turned and he saw half of the metal door fly out of the hallway and then Barnes came out after it and he rolled and stopped himself with his metal hand scraping against the stone. Bucky looked up and he glanced over at them.

"Get down!" he yelled

Clint saw Niko come around the corner with a rocket launcher "Shit" Clint said and he tackled Hill and Bobbi to the ground. Niko fired at them and the rocket flew past them and missed and hit the wall and sent rock and dirt flying into the air and the wall broke away and they could see outside and the sun was coming up. Clint stood up and Niko tossed the launcher away and he looked at Clint.

"You brought friends" Niko said to Bucky

"Well, I t would have been stupid to come alone" Bucky said

"Yes, but you have just made my job easier, now I can kill you all" Niko said and he pulled out a detonator.

Clint's eyes widened and he fired the arrow and it hit the detonator out of Niko's hand. Niko went for it and Bucky threw the shield and hit him in the back. Niko growled and he turned around toward Bucky. Bucky ran and he punched Niko in the face and ten the gut. Niko countered with a knee to the gut and then a head butt. Bucky blocked another punch and he kicked Niko away. Niko fell onto his back and he got back up.

"Go, find Steve and get him out of here" Bucky said

"What about you?" Clint asked

"I've got him" Bucky said and ducked a kick and he quickly hit Niko twice in the ribs and jaw.

Hill took a step forward, toward him Bucky stopped Niko's arm and looked at her "Go and get Steve out of here, go" Bucky said and he punched Niko in the face and then a knee hit Bucky in the face.

Bucky retreated and he blocked a kick and he slammed down on Niko's leg. Niko grimaced and he swung at him with lightning speed. Bucky was just in time to block every punch.

Hill followed Clint and Bobbi and they ran into the hallway. Clint saw Steve carrying Natasha in his arms.

"Cap" Clint said

"Clint here take her, careful her right leg is broken" Steve said and he handed Natasha off to Clint who held her close.

"Who broke her leg?" Clint asked

"That would be me" Steve said

Clint's eyes widened "She was brainwashed by Niko, but I think it's gone"

Clint looked at her "Nat?"

Natasha looked up at him "Hey Barton" she said

Clint laughed lightly "Well you seem to be in one piece, you scared me there for a second" Clint said

"Just get me out of here" Natasha said and she looked at Steve

"Cap, Niko is out there" Clint said

"I know, and I'm going to give him a visit" Steve said

Steve walked past him and he exited the hallway and he saw Bucky fighting Niko. Steve saw his shield on the ground and he grabbed it. Steve walked forward and he was behind Niko. Bucky noticed Steve was walking toward them and he kicked Niko back and Steve hit him with the shield. Niko swiped Steve's leg out from under him. He rolled backwards and he came up and Steve stood up and Bucky was to his right.

"It comes down to this huh?" Niko said and he spit blood out of his mouth

"It ends here Niko" Bucky said

"We'll see about that" Niko said and he cracked his jaw

Steve took a step forward and Niko pulled out a pistol and fired. Steve put the shield up and he walked forward. Niko dropped the gun and he waited for Steve to throw a punch. Niko was ready for it then a metal hand hit him. He stumbled away, he looked at them and Bucky was directly behind Steve.

"Ok, time for the end game" Niko said and he pulled out another detonator and clicked it.

"What was that?" Bucky asked

"The thing I warned you about" Niko said

Bucky's eyes widened and he glanced over at Natasha.

"She has two minutes" Niko said

Bucky looked at Steve "Go, you need to kill her" Bucky said

"What?" Steve snapped

"The brainwashing is going to return and this time it isn't going to go away, you have two minutes till the Natasha we Know won't be coming back at all" Bucky said

"You have got to be kidding me" Steve said

"Afraid not, Go! I've got him" Bucky said

Steve looked back at Niko and he looked at Natasha and he ran after Clint. Bucky walked forward.

"Ok Niko, let's kill each other" Bucky said

Niko smiled and he ran at Bucky. Bucky stopped a kick and then a punch. Bucky returned with a head butt and then a hand to the throat. Niko grabbed his arm and he pulled it away and he punched Bucky twice in the face. Bucky felt his jaw slightly dislocate. He grunted and he hit Niko in the ribs and he brought the metal hand up and grabbed him by the throat and picked him up and slammed him down onto his back. Niko felt the air in his lungs leave and he coughed and he kicked Bucky in the back. Bucky stumbled forward and he swung backwards and he hit Niko in the face, bruising his cheek.

Niko brought out a knife and sliced Bucky in the ribs. Blood hit the floor and Bucky felt the cold blade and the burning. He took a breath and he swung at Niko. Niko dodged and then a pistol was pointed at his gut and Bucky shot him five times. Niko fell onto his back and he gasped for air. Bucky tossed the gun away and pulled out another one and aimed at Niko's head.

"It ends here" Bucky said

"Not here" Niko said and he stabbed Bucky in the ankle, Bucky groaned in pain "In hell" Niko said and he pulled the knife out and sliced Bucky in the thigh.

Bucky stepped back and aimed the pistol and fired. Niko took a bullet to the shoulder and he wasn't fazed by it and he kept coming. Bucky tossed the gun away and Niko tackled him to the ground and they both slid across the floor and Bucky's head went over the edge and he was leaning back and he could see the flames climbing. Bucky blocked a punch and then a hand grabbed his arm and Niko punched Bucky in the face.

Bucky felt his head go back and then another punch and then another. Niko had blood leaking out of his nose and mouth and he had a smile on his face and he punched him again. Niko was breathing heavily and Bucky was too tired to move. He struggled to breathe and Niko stood to his full height. He grabbed Bucky's metal arm and he held it straight out. He put his foot on the upper arm.

"They gave you this arm" Niko said and he pulled. Bucky felt the arm crack and bend and break away. Niko held the arm in his hand and he laughed and looked at Bucky "And now I'm going to kill you with it"

Niko straitened the arm out and he had the torn part aimed at Bucky's throat and he brought it down.

Hill looked over at Bucky and saw Niko about to stab him with his own arm. Hill ran forward and she felt her heart racing and her legs were burning. She was tired and she couldn't go much longer. She pushed herself and she felt her legs go numb with burning pain and she yelled.

"NO!"

Hill tackled Niko and they both flew over the edge.

Bucky watched as Hill and Niko flew over the edge and Bucky felt his heart jump as he knew that Hill was going to fall into the blazing flames. Bucky rolled to his left and he grabbed her hand as she flew past him. Bucky felt the pain in his right arm and he stopped her from falling. Hill looked up in surprise and she looked into Bucky's eyes.

"Gotcha" he said

Bucky grunted and he lifted Hill up. He yelled in pain as he felt his muscles strain and he rolled. Hill came up the top and she grabbed the edge and started to pull her own weight. Bucky was breathing heavily and he had her hand in in his and he was sighing in relief.

"Good catch" Hill said and she laid next to him.

"Next time, warn me first" Bucky said lightly chuckling

"You got it" Hill said getting up and she pulled Bucky to his feet. Bucky looked back down and he saw Niko was pulling himself up onto a small platform that was just above the flames. He looked up at them.

"This isn't the end Barnes!" He yelled up at him

"Hey Niko, just shut the hell up" Bucky said and he walked forward.

_**Steve**_

Steve ran up to Clint and he grabbed him by the shoulder "We have a big problem" Steve said

"What?"

"Niko just activated his backup brainwashing, to make sure it doesn't go away"

"What?" Natasha asked

"Bucky said that to stop it from happening we have two minutes and you're not going to like this, you have to die for it to stop"

"I really hate this guy" Clint said

"Do it" Natasha said

Clint looked down at her "What?" Clint snapped

"Barton, put me down" Natasha said

"But Nat"

"Clint put me down"

Clint against his better judgement put her down. Natasha was keeping herself sitting up and Steve knelt down next to her.

"Clint call Fury to come get us" Bucky said walking up

"Ok, well Steve just told…"

"You that she needs to die to stay herself, well yeah" Bucky said and he looked down at Natasha.

"Guys stop looking at me with faces like I'm a child go and wait for Fury to get here. Steve and I have got this" Natasha said slightly angry that they were fretting over her.

They walked away and Bucky kept his eyes on them the entire time. When they were out of ear shot Natasha spoke.

"Steve use my Widows bite, set it to lethal and shock me" Natasha said

"Is there another way?" Steve asked

"Steve, calm down. If you freak out, I'm going to freak out. We've gotten out of worse"

Steve nodded and kept himself calm and he took her gauntlets off.

"Ok one gauntlet will kill me and another will bring me back" Natasha said and he turned one of them to lethal.

"Ok, well it's like the time when you save me on the helicarrier" Steve said swallowing

"Yeah, it's going to be fun" Natasha said trying to make him feel better

"You know that is a sick sense of humor" Steve said

"I just noticed that" Natasha said and she smirked.

Steve grabbed the gauntlet that was lethal and he looked at Natasha. Her smirk was gone and her eyes were closed as if she was concentrating on something. She groaned in pain and she fell back and she groaned as her head pulsed with pain. Steve swallowed and he put his hand on her face.

"You ready?" he asked

Natasha nodded her head through the pain and she saw a flash of fire and people burning.

"OK" Steve said and he charged the gauntlet and he placed it on her chest and shocked her.

Natasha arched her back and she shook and then fell back down and wasn't moving. Steve felt his heart rate increase and he clenched his jaw as he looked at Natasha as she was lying limp. He placed his fingers on her throat and he didn't feel a pulse. He exhaled and he grabbed the other one and charged it and shocked her. Her body arched up then fell back down. Steve charged again and shocked her.

"Come on, you wake up" Steve said and he shocked her again.

Steve charged and shocked her again, nothing. "Come on" Steve said and he shocked her again.

Steve went to charge again and her gauntlet died. He tapped it against his hand and he gritted his teeth. "No, work" he said and ha smacked it hard and it turned on and then died again.

Steve dropped the glove and he put his hands on her face. "Don't you give up yet" Steve said and he placed his hands on her chest and pressed down quickly. He counted to thirty and he grabbed her jaw and tilted her head and he breathed into her mouth and he saw her chest rise. He counted to thirty again as he pressed down on her chest. He tilted her head again and he gave her a breath again. Steve did it again and he titled her head and breathed. He saw her chest rise and he was about to do chest presses again when she coughed and her eyes opened.

"Natasha" he said and he sat her up she was coughing and she took in a few deep breaths. She looked at him.

"Steve?" she said and her eyes closed and she passed out.

Steve held her close and he could feel her heart beating and he was filled with relief.

"Fury, we have a minute tops" Clint said

Steve picked her up and carried her like before and walked over to them.

"What is going on?"

"Fury is coming, but he ran into some trouble and he isn't going to be here on time" Clint said and he looked at Natasha in his arms and her eyes were closed.

Guessing at Clint's reaction Steve spoke "She's ok, just passed out" Steve said and his voice was soft.

The floor rumbled and shook and then fire came over the edges of the railings and the fire spread slowly toward them.

"Oh yeah, what did you explode to use for a signal?" Clint asked looking at the flames

"I didn't blow up anything" Steve said

"Then who did?"

"I'll tell you later" Steve said

Steve heard the floor creak and start to bend from the heat. He heard a Quinjet above them. It slowly hovered down and the ramp dropped and Bobbi jumped and pulled herself up. Bucky jumped up next and Bobbi helped him in. Hill went next and Bucky pulled her to her feet.

Clint jumped and grabbed the edge and grunted as he pulled himself up. Bucky and Clint leaned over and put their hands out and Steve raised Natasha up and they grabbed her lifted her up. Steve was about to jump up when the floor bent and he fell backwards. He hit the floor and rolled and his arm caught on fire. He jumped up and threw off his coat and he put the shield onto his back and he ran up the slanted floor and he jumped. Bucky and Clint caught his hands when the floor gave away and he was dangling above the flames.

"Use some of that strength Cap, you're a lot heavier than you look" Clint said

They used their strength and they pulled Steve up and Steve stood and he looked at Clint and patted his shoulder. Clint walked away and Steve turned to see Bucky and he smirked at him.

"That is the last time you do something on your own" Bucky said

"Yeah, keep hoping that I won't do anything stupid"

"Everything you do is stupid" Bucky said teasingly

"Yeah" Steve said and he hit the manual close for the ramp "Then why don't you ever stop me?"

"I don't know, maybe I like saving you" Bucky said

Steve laughed and he walked forward and he saw Fury was standing over Natasha while she was on a crate. Steve walked past her and he patted Fury on the shoulder. Steve sat down on a seat and he leaned back and rested his head on the hull. He didn't notice how tired he felt. He felt his eyes become heavy and he relaxed and he closed his eyes and welcomed the much needed sleep.

End of Act 5


	27. Epologue part 1

_**Steve**_

_Steve felt warm and he knew he was asleep. He knew he was dreaming. Steve opened his eyes and he was in his apartment in Sydney and he was in bed. The covers were to his waist and he was as comfortable as can be. He didn't want to move, afraid he would ruin the moment of the peacefulness. He could feel the warm of the sun as it peered through the balcony window. The sliding glass do was open and the cool breeze of the ocean was flowing in and he smelled with a deep inhale. There was nothing like fresh air by the ocean, how it is calming, yet invigorating. _

_Steve could feel someone close to him and he turned his head. He saw a familiar face lying next to him. He turned onto his side, he was facing the sliding glass door and she was facing him. Steve smiled and she smiled back. He put his hand to her face and lightly rubbed her cheek and moved his hand through her red hair. The sun made her ivory skin shine and Steve loved being next to her. There was nowhere he would rather be. He felt her hand on his face and he kissed her arm softly. He moved up and kissed her collar bone and he kissed her neck._

_He felt her hand in his hair and she gripped tightly. His arms were around her and he kissed her deeply. Her hands moved over his muscular back and he felt her lips against his neck. Steve moaned softly as she shifted her hand down and grabbed him in her hand. Steve kissed her neck, and he moved down and kissed her breasts. He looked up to see Natasha smiling at him, he didn't know what he would do without her. She was his everything, his reason for going on. The world was a dark and dangerous, miserable place, but she made it a little more bearable. She made it worth it._

_Before he went into the ice, he had no idea he would meet someone as amazing as her. Every woman he ever met always walked past him afraid to step on him. He had waited for a long time and at first he thought it was Peggy. How he wished it could have been her, she would always have a piece of his heart, but he met the right partner. He just had to wait seventy years for her. _

Steve opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the ceiling. From that he knew where he was instantly; the tower's medical bay. Steve sat up and a hand touched his shoulder. He looked over and Clint was standing next to him.

"Take it slow big guy" Clint said

Steve looked to his left and he saw Bucky lying on a bed and he had bandages around his legs and chest.

"Hey punk" Bucky said

"How long have I been out?" Steve asked lying his head back down.

"About two days, your friend was out for a whole day." Clint said

"And Nat?" Steve asked

"We're still waiting for her to wake up" Clint said

"Do we know when?" Steve asked

"Banner said maybe a week, yet the mind is a difficult thing to unravel. It could be shorter, or longer. We just have to wait and see. I give her a week and then she is going to wake up and you two can make googily eyes at each other for the rest of the day"

"Does anyone else know about our…?"

"About your guy's relationship, no. Just I and your pal over there. Fury doesn't even know"

"Good, she'll be happy" Steve said

Clint smiled and chuckled "Yeah you can give her the news when she wakes up" Clint said and he nodded and walked away.

Steve chuckled and looked over at Bucky "So what's new with you?"

"Oh me the usual, picking up girls left and right" Bucky said smiling

Steve chuckled and he sighed "Yeah, you always had a thing with the ladies"

"Yeah, not anymore. I don't even know how to talk to a woman anymore. Well at this age anyhow"

"I know how you feel"

"It's like when I asked that hot lady in red to dance and all she could look at was you" Bucky said

"Yeah, after the serum, I stole the show. Sad part was it didn't help with talking to them"

"Yeah, well you've got yourself a good woman after all" Bucky said and he looked past Steve at Natasha who was lying very still and breathing slowly.

Steve turned to look at her and he exhaled and he looked at her and he wished he could get up and hold her hand.

"Well, with that serum of yours, you'll be out of here by the end of the day. Your ribs are already healed, she broke them good. Then again once you're better, you're just going to sit over there and wait for her to wake up."

"You know so well Buck" Steve said

"Ah it's what I would be doing"

"It's good to have you back Bucky"

"It's good to be back, but not for long. I have a long road ahead"

"Why is that?"

"Niko got away"

Steve rolled his eyes at the name "Yeah I know, but someone has to hunt him down and stop him" Bucky added

"If you need help"

"No, Steve I need to do this on my own. I helped create him, even if I didn't make him crazy. I taught him how to fight and how to use tactics. It only seems right that I should stop him."

"You're pulling a me" Steve said

"Well, I guess Captain America rubbed off on me" Bucky said

"What about your arm?"

"Oh get another one from Fury, I'm putting the red star back on it"

"Why"

"I want to be reminded of where it came from, and the past. As much as we have to move on from the past, we can't forget it. Or else we repeat history"

"Pasts are troubling things" Steve said

"Plus the Avengers need you, and someone with a dark past could use someone who can help" Bucky said looking at Natasha.

"I'll do my best"

"Your best is enough, trust me. I hope she can forgive me for all the pain I put her through in Red Room. I guess I'll never get forgiveness for that"

"It's hard to forgive something hard and traumatic" Steve said

"Yeah"

"But it's usually worth it" Steve said

"Damn you just know what to say to everyone don't you?" Bucky said smiling

"I guess I could have made a good motivational speaker"

"Yeah, then again. Your motivation is to go get beat up behind movie theaters and parking lots."

Steve laughed and he shook his head at Bucky.

"Well I think I'm going to take another nap" Steve said

"Have fun with that"

"At least it's a warm nap" Steve said

"True"

"You won't be here when I wake up will you?"

"No, but I'll visit in a month" Bucky said

"Well see you in a month"

"Don't have too much fun without me" Bucky said

"How can I do that?"

"It seems you have a buddy who you can talk to and have a drink with."

"She is truly amazing"

"She is" Bucky said and he watched as Steve closed his eyes and fell back asleep.

_Three Days Later…_

Steve was out of the medical bay that afternoon, but Bucky was right he spent all his time there sitting next to Natasha. He wanted to be there when she woke up, it would be nice if she saw a familiar face when she did. Steve had been up to the main floor only for food. Everything seemed fine as well. Bucky was gone and Steve wasn't going to see him for a month. Well at least it's better than a few years. Steve had started to coordinate with Thor about finding Loki's scepter. Thor seemed to want it, it was important and he was anxious go get it. Steve told him they would all help, but they were going to have to take on Hydra. Steve still had all those files and he knew where every base was. It was the perfect opportunity.

Steve said they would once Natasha was better and the team back to full strength. Hill was around more now and she was no reporting everything to him, even though it was supposed to be Stark, since she does work for him. Steve didn't mind having some structure to it, he liked it actually. Even though there was no clear leader, he had no problem giving orders in high risk situations. Steve had to guess that he was the leader, even if it was only in certain situations.

Steve was sitting in a chair next to her bed and h had his head resting on it and he hands were next to his head. He wasn't sleeping, but he was close to it. Steve slightly shifted when he heard the door to the medical bay open. Steve lifted his head and looked and saw Clint walking in.

"So how is our favorite spy?" he asked walking up next to him

"She seems ok, but Banner said we won't know anymore until she wakes up"

"And that should be any time now" Clint said

"Well, when she does, you'll be the first one I call." Steve said

"I'm going to stay down here with you, I need a break from Stark anyhow" Clint said pulling up a chair.

Steve looked back at Natasha and he saw her stir slightly. He felt his hands grip the arms of the chair. Natasha moved her head and her eyes fluttered open. Clint and Steve both stood and walked to either side of her. They both smiled and laughed and they were happy to see her awake. Natasha rubbed her eyes and she looked at Clint, then at Steve. She noticed she was in the medical bay and she saw Steve looking at her in a weird way.

"Rogers, what's with the staring?" Natasha asked rubbing her eyes and she tried to move and winced at her leg

Steve was confused by what she said to him, and he leaned a little closer. He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away.

"What has gotten into you Rogers?" Natasha asked staring at him weirdly

"Nat, you ok?" Clint asked

"Yeah I'm fine Clint, just who broke my leg?"

"That would be Cap" Clint answered

Natasha looked at Steve "Why did you do that?" she asked rather harshly

"Natasha do you remember anything about Niko?" Steve asked

"Who the hell is Niko?"

"Ok Nat what is the last thing you remember?" Clint asked

Natasha paused and Steve saw her eyes shift as if she was trying to remember. They waited in silence and she finally answered.

"Stark's party"

"Which one?" Steve and Clint asked in unison

"The one when some masked guy attacked the tower"

Steve felt his heart sink and he knew which party she was referring to. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a solemn stare.

"You ok Steve?" Natasha asked

Steve was brought back to reality "Yeah, it's good to have you back"

Natasha looked at the two uncomfortable men standing in front of her "Come on guys what's wrong, isn't it usually good when a person wakes up from something that put them in the hospital" she said and Steve felt her emerald eyes beaming at him, as if blaming him for why she was there.

"Nat that party was in September"

"And?" Natasha asked

"It's January" Clint said glancing at Steve and he noticed that he was disconnecting himself from the conversation.

Natasha looked at them "What?"

"We just rescued you from a man named Niko, who kidnapped you stabbed Steve and brainwashed you"

Natasha was breathing a little faster now "And the masked guy, what about him"

"It was actually Red Skull, and he attacked New York and we stopped him. Afterward Rumlow shot Steve, well actually aimed for you Steve saved your life"

"I thought Red Skull was dead"

"We all did" Clint said

"So is that all I missed really?" Natasha asked

Clint looked at Steve and he saw that he was thinking deeply and he was about to tell her about her and Steve when Steve spoke up "No, other than we stopped them both and you and me blew up a Hydra base in Germany, and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas" Steve said leaving out their relationship and Bucky

Clint's eyes widened and he quickly let them go back to normal and he looked at Natasha.

"Ok well we'll let you be alone for a bit to soak it all in" Clint said and him and Steve walked away.

They exited the medical bay and Clint grabbed Steve by the arm and slammed him up against the wall.

"What the hell was that, you didn't tell her about both of you being a in a relationship" Clint said in a harsh whisper

Steve clenched his jaw "Do you think she would have taken it well?" Steve asked

Clint scoffed and he thought about it "No she wouldn't have taken it well, and that would have also meant that everyone else would find out, and then you would have to be stuck with having to get her feelings out all over again" Clint aid shaking his head

"Yeah, it'll be better this way" Steve said

"Yeah but for who? Do you realize all the good you did for her, she could actually walk around and smile and have fun. She wasn't having any till she got you as a partner and as a boyfriend"

"Yeah but all that is lost now isn't it, all the work and time I put in to get to open up, and now she still thinks that I'm her work partner and that I have her file and don't know a damn thing about her"

"Maybe its temporary amnesia" Clint said grasping for straws

"Get Banner down here and then we'll know" Steve said walking away

"And where are you going?" Clint asked

Steve turned and he looked at Clint "To move all her stuff out of my room" Steve said "I don't want her to think it's strange that her work partner has most of her clothes in his room" Steve walked away and he felt his heart ache and he felt tears come to his eyes and he wiped them away. He got into the elevator and hit the button for the main floor.


	28. Epologue part 2

_**Steve**_

Steve was now getting all her stuff and putting it into bins. He opened her dresser and he pulled out all of her shirts and he tossed them into the bins. He felt horrible, the person who has his heart doesn't even remember that they were in a relationship. Also she is back to being disconnected from him. He never noticed how distant she use to be, they had gotten close after Red Skull, and now all that was gone. Steve felt himself get angry and he found himself throwing her clothes rather unconventionally into the bins and he threw a dresser drawer at the wall and broke it. He exhaled and he grabbed the drawer and he held the broken piece in his other hand and he tossed them onto the bed. He had collected all of her things and he carried them one by one to her room in the tower.

Every time he returned to take another bin made him feel worse. He took the last bin in and he put it down on the floor and he made the project of putting all of her stuff away. Neatly and cleanly, like she never left the room. Steve noticed he did it a little to neatly and he went back and roughed up some of the clothes so it looked more like someone who lived there and not like a guy from the army folded all your clothes and went through you underwear. Steve walked to her door and he looked back at her room and he sighed and shut off the light and closed the door.

Steve still had another place to go, his apartment. Natasha had her things there to, but he would have to return those things to her own apartment in New York. Steve walked to the elevator and he went down to the garage and he got into a truck. He would have taken the motorcycle, but he needed to transport things, so motorcycle not a good idea. Steve drove out of the tower and he turned off his phone, he didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment.

He came to his apartment and he walked up to his door and opened it. He walked into the clean apartment and he walked through the living room. He walked down his hallway and he passed a picture on the wall and he looked at it. He found himself looking more at himself in the reflection that the actual picture. His beard had begun to get longer and his hair was back to normal. He sighed and he felt his heart ache and he walked into his room and he saw all of her stuff at the night stand that she claimed as hers. Steve clenched his jaw and he swallowed and took a step forward. He grabbed her watch that she wore on occasion. He held it in his hand and he didn't feel like putting it back. He felt tears beginning to form again and he sniffed and toss the watch back and he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He gathered all her things and he carried it out of the room and he didn't notice that he dropped something on the floor. A piece of paper with his name on it, he left it and closed the door. Not even knowing that it fell out of the bin.

Steve carried the bin out to the truck and he placed it into the passenger seat. He got in and put the key into the ignition and the truck rumbled to life. Steve was driving down the road and he was trying to not think about anything. He glanced over to his right, toward the bin and he saw it disappear and he saw Natasha sitting there and she gave him the little smirk that he liked. Steve took his eyes off the road and he stared at her and he watched her laugh and then he noticed someone was honking at him. Steve looked up and he was about to hit truck head on. He swerved and missed it and he felt his heart rate jump and start to beat rapidly. He exhaled in relief and he looked back over at the passenger side and Natasha wasn't there anymore. Her things in that bin were the only things in that seat. Steve turned his head back toward the road and he turned a left toward her apartment.

When he got there, it seemed like something from a memory. Seeing Natasha walk out of her apartment and himself wondering what her apartment looked like. Steve parked the truck and he carried the bin to her door. He opened the door and he walked in. The place was covered in dust and he knew that she never really went back there after they got together, but now he knew she would return. He put her stuff away where it was appropriate to have them and he decided to clean her apartment. He made it look like she cleaned a day ago and he sat down on her couch and he laid his head back.

He couldn't believe this was happening to him again. First he loses Peggy, now Natasha. Maybe Clint is right, it could just be temporary amnesia and she could regain her memory. Maybe he was overreacting to this. Steve looked around the apartment and he rubbed his eyes and he stood up and walked toward the door and he left the apartment and he walked out toward the truck. Steve climbed in and he turned on the truck again and drove back toward the tower, maybe Banner has some answers.

Steve parked his truck in the garage and he opened the door and climbed down and he slammed the door shut, maybe a little too hard. Steve took a step forward and he saw Clint walking toward him.

"We have been trying to get a hold of you for two hours" Clint said

"Has something happened?" Steve asked, a part of him was hoping she remembered something about them.

"We found out about Nat's situation" Clint said

"Well, what is her situation?"

"Well, I'm going to dumb it down so you'll understand, Banner talked all science and he had to switch to English"

"As usual" Steve said almost smiling

"Yeah, anyway. Nat sadly will never regain the memories of what happened during those four months" Clint said

Steve's heart instantly sank and he felt like Clint had stabbed him with an arrow.

"Yeah I know, it sucks. Apparently though all the stuff she did over and over again is still there muscle memory."

"Well that's something" Steve said still not too thrilled even with that result.

"Hey Cap, don't worry. I'm sure you guys will make up, eventually"

"Yeah, and how is her standing on opening up?" Steve asked, already knowing the answer

Clint hesitated on that one "Well, she is basically still very detached and a little distant. She is different from how she was with you" Clint said

Steve nodded his head and clenched his jaw "Yeah I thought so" Steve said and he walked away

Clint looked confused and a little hurt "Hey, it's not perfect, but be happy enough that she can remember your guy's partnership and also I might add have hidden feelings for you" Clint said

Steve turned and he looked very unlike the Steve Rogers who woke up three days ago, hoping to see Natasha wake up. "Barton, can you talk to her, have a good laugh, hug her, maybe put your arm around her?"

Clint was silent for a few moments "Yes" he said and he seemed uncomfortable saying it as Steve was staring at him.

"Then don't tell me everything is fine, be happy she remembers you, I can't even hold her hand. I can't get near her without getting a fucking weird death glare!" Steve said loudly and he stormed off and walked into the elevator

Clint was taken back by Steve's words, and the fact that he heard Steve curse. He never actually heard that word ever come out of Steve's mouth. Clint knew in a way he was right, and in a way Steve was right, but from Steve's point of view. Everything that Clint just said was completely wrong. Clint was a little out of his depth, he hadn't lost as much as Steve, he couldn't possibly know how he was feeling. What worried him was what he would do.

Steve felt the elevator stop and the door opened and Tony walked in. Steve really didn't need this right now, but he put on his best pleasant face he had.

"Hey Capsicle"

"Hello Stark" Steve said

"Sucks about what happened to red right?"

Steve tried not to lose focus by Natasha being mentioned "Yeah it does, but it could have been worse"

"Yeah, she could have forgotten all about this was could have been the same chick from the KGB all those years ago"

Steve really wanted to get onto a different topic "Anything planned Stark?"

Tony looked at Steve "I see you are trying to make small talk, you miss me that much?"

Of course he would make it about him, the self-absorb jackass "No, just what's happening, any plans I should know of?"

"Well, in any case. I am throwing a party for our red and her great return"

"Well that will be nice" Steve said

"Yeah, I thought about going down a notch, but I kind of kept it the same"

"Would that mean models?" Steve asked

"Ah you know me so well Capsicle"

"Just Tony, don't set them loose on me, it will ruin the party."

The elevator doors opened and Steve walked out wanting to get as far away from Tony as possible.

"Its tomorrow night" Tony yelled, knowing Steve would hear him

Tony raised his eyebrows, Steve never call him Tony, it was almost like poison to his ears, but just this once he wouldn't have the models droll all over him. He seemed different than usual.

Steve opened his door to his room and he walked in and he saw Natasha standing next to his dresser. Steve stopped in his tracks and his heart began to race. He recalled the memory of her standing in his plaid shirt that was too big for her and how it was unbuttoned and she looked her breasts would come out at any moment. Now she was wearing jeans and a black shirt. She noticed Steve and she stared slightly, not wanting to give herself away. She moved her eyes down his body and she stopped to admire his abs, which were being hugged by his shirt. Then she noticed that he had a beard.

"When did you grow that?" Natasha asked

Steve seemed uncomfortable "I grew it so I could fit in a little bit in the prison so I could get you out" Steve said, a lie, but a partial one.

"Well, I came here wondering if my partner would like to join me for me for a drink"

Steve smirked at the situation, but it wasn't a happy smirk. He really didn't want to go, but he knew he couldn't just turn off the friendship "Sure, just give me a sec" Steve said passing her and he felt his heart rate spike again when he smelled her perfume.

"How's the leg?" Steve asked

"Good as new, and a little sore, but I'll be fine"

"Good to hear" Steve said

"Yeah, so you choose the bar, or I choose"

"I trust your judgment on places to drink more than mine"

"Very true, well we'll just go to my regular spot"

"Ok, lead on" Steve said

Natasha turned and walked toward his door, Steve had to stop himself from staring at her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he could do this, right?

They entered a bar and Steve was hesitant to enter, he swallowed and he opened the door. He found Natasha already ordering drinks and she was sitting at the bar. Steve walked up and sat next to her. Steve put both is hands on the bar and he blinked rapidly and he felt her hand brush past his coat. He tried not to shutter as she passed him his drink.

Steve took it and quickly downed it and he felt the burn as the fluid flowed down his throat.

"Slow down Steve, it's not a race" Natasha said and she took a sip of hers.

Steve motioned the bartender for another. Natasha put her glass down and looked at Steve. He seemed different than usual. He was always more to himself in public places, but this seemed more than that, it seemed as if something was knowing at him.

"You ok?" Natasha asked a little concerned

Steve looked at her and he casted his eyes to the bar "Yeah I'm fine" Steve said

Natasha knew he was lying, he was a terrible liar. She took another sip of her drink and she decided to keep going.

"You don't seem ok"

"I guess, I'm still shaken up from the Gulag" Steve said

"Come on Rogers, we've been through worse" Natasha said not believing him for a second.

"Look Nat, I'm just…" Steve sighed and looked away

"Just what?" Natasha asked

"I'm just going through a rough patch that's all"

"Steve, I've seen you go through rough patches, this isn't one of them" Natasha said

Steve knew that she thought she had seen it all, this is the first time he felt this way since his first year back. The complete unknown and just when he thought he had some stable ground, it's ripped out from under his feet. He didn't know where to go from here. Steve Nodded and he knew the Natasha that was with him for three months would remember what he told her about his first year back, this one had no idea.

"Look, I'm fine. I can get through it, I've gone through it once I can do it again" Steve said more to himself than to Natasha

Natasha didn't like where his head was at "Steve what's wrong?"

Steve was quiet for a long time and he didn't want to lie to her, he clenched his jaw and spoke "Just some relationship problems"

"You have a girlfriend?" Natasha asked slightly taken back by the image of Steve with a woman and him walking next to her, most likely holding her hand. Why did she get this feeling of anger toward whoever the woman was? She wasn't jealous or was she. Anyway that would mean he is taken, or soon to be single. He did say problems.

"I had, she isn't here right now, well she is just the way I want her to be" Steve said he meant Natasha the entire time.

"What's her name?" Natasha asked

Steve without thinking said the first name that came to his mind "Nat"

Natasha widened her eyes at the name. Steve seeing his mistake and he said a full name, not a stupid nick name.

"Natalie" Steve said

Natasha nodded her head "So not that nurse"

"I did date her for about a month, it just didn't work out" Steve said slightly remembering Sharon.

"How long have you had a girlfriend?" Natasha asked

"It would be four months this month, but I've known her for a couple years" Steve said

"You've known her?"

"Well, she works at this café and I stop by there a lot" Steve said completely lying

"So Steven Rogers has a girlfriend"

"Had, she kind of walked out" Steve said slightly frowning

Natasha's smile disappeared and she suddenly felt a little bit of joy enter her, so he is single.

"So enough about me, talk about something else" Steve said

"Well, ah yes my file. Do you still have it?" She asked

"I did" Steve said

Panic entered Natasha's mind who the hell did he give it to? Steve knew how she would have reacted to that so he added "I burned it" Steve said

"You burned it?" Natasha asked shocked that he would have actually burned her file when he could have read it, unless he did read it.

"Did you read it?"

"The cover, the small print of your name, that is it, I don't even know what you covers are" Steve said

"Well, all but one was useless, ever since we put S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets out on the internet all my covers have been completely wiped."

"Yeah, well at least you can be you" Steve said

"Yeah I guess, if me is anything special"

"You're special, and…" Steve had to stop himself then he continued "Smart, and funny" Steve added quickly He almost said sexy.

"Well I guess you know what to say to everyone, you could make a good motivational speaker"

Steve chuckled, everyone was saying that lately, it was starting to get annoying.

They spent four more hours in that bar and they just talked and had a good time. Steve almost forgot that she didn't remember that they had a relationship. When they returned to the tower and she went to her room, that sobered his mind up and he remembered and his smile disappeared and he walked back to his room. He opened the door and closed it and he walked into his bedroom and fell onto the bed and passed out, wanting to sleep and wake up and then all of it would be gone, because it all still felt like a bad dream.

_Steve could feel his legs moving, he was running. He could feel the wet pavement under his bare feet. He ran onto a car and jumped to another one. He climbed one last one and jumped for a taxi. Steve held onto the sides and then bullets flew up out of the roof of the car. Steve felt the car slam its brakes and he flew off of it. Steve rolled and then he was in a cold forest and he blocked a Hydra weapon blast with his shield and Bucky ran up and shot the man. Steve threw the shield and it smacked a soldier in the chest and he fell back and fired his gun and it hit a vehicle and it exploded._

Steve shifted in his sleep and he slightly mumbled something. He shuttered and he stirred again. He could feel the cold air and he felt the wind rushing past his face. How the bitter coldness was suddenly stopped and Steve could see the distant artic water. It was so quiet and He felt alone, even though he could hear Peggy's voice it all seemed to fade away. He felt the bomber crash into the ice cold water and he was thrown back and he hit the hull of the plane. He hit the floor and the water began to rush in, Steve saw the compass with Peggy's picture on it and he ran and went to grab it. The plane shifted and turned in the cold water and Steve was thrown across the plane and he smacked into the hull and he felt the cold water up to his knees and he felt the air from his lungs begin to leave as the water quickly flowed up to his chest.

Steve felt the plan jerk as the wing fell into the water and Steve was tossed like a rag doll through the water and he smacked into a railing and all the air was launched out of his lungs. He swallowed cold water and he felt it burn all the way down and it felt like a fire was set in his chest. Steve lost feeling in his feet and hands and he swam back up for air. Steve popped up and he had just enough head room for air. He sucked in all the air he could and he felt the water rising. He couldn't feel his body, he felt frozen and alone. He tried to think about Peggy's voice, but he couldn't. He was too cold to think straight. He felt the water cover over him and he sunk down as the air was slowly draining from his lungs. He stopped moving and he stayed very still and he had his eyes opened and he felt them begin to burn from the cold freezing water.

Steve saw his compass float past him and he reached for it and he got his hand around it and he gripped as tight as he could. He needed some form of comfort and he opened it and looked at Peggy's face; one last time. He closed the compass and he saw huge chunks of ice fall into the hull and fly toward him. They engulfed him and hit him and made him sink to the very end of the bomber and he was stuck with heavy ice all around him. He could barely move or think. He closed his eyes slowly and he watched as the picture of all the ice around him slowly faded away. He felt cold bitterness, and he felt more alone than he ever had before, but this was his choice. This was so Peggy and Howard, and the Coronel could live, he wasn't the most devote Catholic but if there was an afterlife, something beyond the difficulty of life. Where he had heard many times before that there would be no more pain, or sorrow, or death. He could live with that. Steve felt all the air leave him and he felt himself fall asleep as it were, maybe it was all worth it, yes it was worth it.

Steve's eyes shot open and he sat up really fast holding his chest and gasping for air. He was covered in sweat and he had tears flowing from his eyes. He shivered and he felt cold and he shuttered and he put his hand to his eyes and he sobbed. He thought he was back in that bomber all alone, the one feeling he never want to feel again. He was relived not to be and he reached over to the right side of the bed and he found no one there. He felt tears reform in his eyes and he felt the gnawing pain that Natasha wasn't there anymore. He longed to feel her next to him, and to see her smile and look into her eyes and become completely and utterly lost in them. He longed for her hand in his, lips against his, her arms around him, and his around her. Holding her in his arms and listening to her heart beat as he fell asleep. He sobbed again and he moved over and stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

He felt himself calm down and he turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and at his beard. He clenched his jaw and he put his hand into a fist and he punched the mirror and it shattered. He took a breath and turned on the shower and walked in.

_Early that next morning…_

Steve was walking into the hallway and he smelled breakfast. He felt his mouth water at the smell of it hash browns, bacon, and eggs. He walked out and he saw Natasha in the kitchen and she was making breakfast. Steve remembered that her muscle memory was still intact, so she knew how to cook. He felt a gnawing pain in his gut that he taught her and now she would doesn't even remember. Steve was about to turn away when she noticed him.

"Morning Steve, come have breakfast with me. I'm cooking this time" she said with a smile

Steve didn't want to, but he smiled back and walked into the kitchen and watched her cook the exact breakfast he cooked every morning for both of them. She placed the plate in front of him and had his portions just right.

"Who knew I was a good cook" Natasha said

"You never tried before?" Steve asked trying to play oblivious

"Never tried breakfast, well maybe I'm just more suited to make breakfast" Natasha said sitting down next to him and beginning to eat.

"Maybe" Steve said

"Do you think you can make some that awesome coffee of yours?" she asked

"Sure" Steve said smiling and he stood up and his eggs were already gone.

Clint walked up and he stopped when he saw them both in the kitchen and he thought they were making up, lied he hoped. He had Bucky on the phone and he backed away and he was out of sight, but he could still see them.

"How is he?" Bucky asked

"I don't know. When I do see him he acts fine and smiles, but after that I have no idea"

"How did he take the news with Natasha?"

"Not good, and now they aren't together anymore"

"Damn"

"Yeah, she doesn't remember a thing about them, but I do know she had hidden feelings for him"

"Yeah and when did she get the motivation to go act on those?"

"When she talked to Banner about it, but now she doesn't remember it, at all"

"Then she won't act on it" Bucky said

"I know her well, how do you know she won't?"

"Because, she won't do anything that she thinks she isn't good enough for or deserves it"

"Well you know her pretty well"

"I did train her for years, and I taught her everything she knows" Bucky said

"Yeah thanks for that" Clint said

Clint watched as Steve handed Natasha her mug and he flinched slightly as he hand touched his. Natasha went along drinking the coffee and Steve turned his back, but Clint could still see his face. He had his jaw clenched and he had his hand in a fist and he wiped his eyes. Clint shook his head.

"Barnes, its eating him up inside. I can just tell"

"This will be the second time he has gone through losing someone he loves"

"But he hasn't lost her she's right there"

"Yeah, but is she the same as before, you know touchy and googily eyes and laughing with him and having her arm around his?"

"No, well except for the laughing part"

"Then he feels like he lost her, after he went into the ice Peggy got married and had kids. She is still alive and he feels like he lost her to" Bucky said

"I see your point" Clint said and looked at Steve "How can he just put on a smile and act happy if he is so damn miserable?"

"Barton, its Steve. He always was good at it"

"Yeah, but how do you live with the feeling of something eating at you?"

"You let it hurt for a while and then it dulls, but the pain is never really gone"

"So you just become numb to it?"

"Never, you just learn to live with it, but Steve already is numb to the thing with Peggy. I know what happened his first year back, and he is acting the same way, it may get worse before it gets better"

"He looks fine, but I can tell when he looks away that he's a wreck"

"What did he do for Natasha, like helping wise?"

"Uh, he got her to open up a little more, he bought her ear rings, and he taught her how to cook breakfast" Clint's face went slack "Oh shit"

"What?"

"I think Natasha just made breakfast"

"Since her muscle memory is still intact he is going to see everything he did for her and she won't remember him for it. It's going to tear him apart, the thing with Peggy was about what it could have been. But now with Natasha it's what it was. Damn, try and keep a good eye on him"

"Two eyes, as often as I can spare them, but I'm busy enough on my own"

"Just do your best"

"How's the hunt for Niko?"

"I'm out of leads, but I know he'll pop up eventually"

"Don't forget the man that caused this isn't captured or dead, which probably makes him think it's all his fault"

"Yeah, he will, he can help others, but it seems he can't help himself very well"

"Everyone has their demons, even Steve" Clint said

"Yeah, and it seems the only one that can help him in the long run is a red head" Bucky said

"Yeah, I'll stay in touch" Clint said and he hung up the phone and he looked back at Steve and Natasha.

They were both laughing and it looked like Steve wasn't faking that, but whenever he wasn't being seen by her his eyes would change from how he usually looked to a solemn star and he looked like he was in pain the entire time. He knew he had to watch him closely, but he was busy for half the day, he just had to hope Steve could handle it. Of course he could handle it he's Captain America, but again; everyone has a breaking point, even him.


	29. Epologue part 3

_**Steve**_

Steve had spent the morning with Natasha and he had a good time. He just felt like something was missing, which there was. Steve had went out for a walk without telling anyone. He just wanted to be alone for a bit, clear his head. He had his coat on and the wind was cold, but he didn't care. He didn't like the cold, but he could deal with it. He walked along the sidewalk and he kept his head down and he walked past hundreds of people. He made his way to the park and he walked along its paths for what seemed like hours. Steve soon found himself sitting on a bench with his hands together and he was leaning forward and resting his chin on his hands.

Steve thought back to a moment that he gave Natasha those ear rings at Christmas. He smiled at the memory of her smile, he thought of another moment on the Quinjet, just before he jumped out of it without a parachute.

"You doing anything fun this Saturday night?"

He chuckled at the question and he sat back and he looked at the partly cloudy sky and the sun was peeking out from behind a cloud. He smiled and he wished that he was back there, those two years of being her partner, challenging as they might have been, he enjoyed it. That was when things made sense, to a point. Steve didn't like wandering aimlessly. He liked to see where he was going, and at that very moment, he hadn't a clue of where to go from here. He could do what Clint said all along and tell her about the relationship and have Clint back him up. It may be messy, but he thought it could work. Yet Steve had this feeling it would just make things awkward, and that would mean they wouldn't work very well together. He lost the intimate relationship, he didn't want to lose the working one to.

Steve found it infuriating about what to do, he could just get over her and move on, but he didn't want to do that. He could do what Clint suggested and try to work out the problem, he thought about doing that numerous times this morning, but something always stopped him. He really needed to get a grip, he was making it harder on himself, but he guessed that was a flaw in his character. Captain America, has a problem with change. Steve didn't have a problem with change, but when it directly affected him he did, but he guessed that was human.

He wasn't the stone hard soldier that he was made out to be in those documentary films. Sure he was brave and he wasn't afraid of much, but he was broken and he knew it. He guessed that this must have been how Natasha felt when they both stared their relationship, lost and hurt. He took in a deep calming breath and he stood up. He began to walk back to the tower and he made the decision to tell Natasha about the relationship. He just felt like something had been torn away from him and he felt like his identity was being stripped away. He needed to not be affected by things that he helped her with and be happy that she still had that at least. Steve didn't know why he would suddenly snap whenever he saw something he helped do and then get no acknowledgment for it, maybe it was selfishness. It probably was, but he missed the way she used to look at him, the times when they were alone and it was just him and her. Together and now he was alone at night, and his nightmares had returned. He had the theory that the whole situation was hitting a nerve with undealt with trauma from being put into the ice and losing almost everything. Steve was good with turning things off and getting the job done, even if he died in the process. But he couldn't turn off these feelings, he just wanted things to feel good again. Maybe he is making himself feel horrible. That is what people do, they always make it seem worse than it actually is. He was already acting like this from one day, maybe he was still in denial, he just needed to keep pushing on so he could reach acceptance. He did this once before, he could do it again.

By the time that Steve arrived party guests were already walking into the tower. Steve had to admit it didn't seem like a very good welcome back party, especially since there were people that he didn't even know and he was sure Natasha didn't know them either. Maybe Stark was just looking for an excuse to throw a party. No now he was being angry with other people, Stark is just being Stark. Steve went to the stairs, he didn't want to be in an elevator full of people, besides he needed to get ready for the party.

Steve arrived to his room and he opened the door and he walked inside and closed the door. He went to the bath room and he looked at himself in the shattered mirror, Steve sighed and he shook his head, dumb thing to do. He could still see himself, it was just fragmented. He turned on the faucet and he decided to shave off the beard. It was starting to get long and messy, and he could have easily passed for a homeless person given the right attire.

Steve walked out of the bathroom cleanly shaven and he saw a suit on his bed, which he hadn't notice from before. Stark must have given him another suit, Steve grabbed it and he put it on. He looked more like himself without the beard, he liked his old look more, cleanly shaven and presentable. He smiled at himself in the mirror, now he just needed to keep it together and if he ran into anything that would hit a nerve he needed to be able not to freak out. Steve reckoned that he was still suffering from PTSD. He went through it during his first year back and he noticed some of the symptoms again. He took a deep breath and he walked out of his room and toward the party.

Steve entered and he saw people dancing and some just talking and drinking. Steve wished he could get drunk, just once. Steve walked through the crowd and he ran into someone he knew.

"Hey Cap" Rhodey said

Steve smiled and it was actually nice to see him "Stark invited you" Steve said

"Yeah, well I try to stay away from Tony's parties" Rhodey said

They both walked over to the bar and grabbed a glass of tequila. They settled by standing there and leaning against the bar.

"I didn't know you were coming" Steve said taking a sip of the tequila

"Yeah well, I wanted to stop by, if I told Tony I was coming he would have models all over me"

"He tends to do that" Steve said

"Yeah, he does. So what is new with the Avengers?"

Steve finished his glass and he didn't know where to begin.

"Well we are now freelancers I guess, we have just recovered one of our teammates, and we are now on the search for Loki's scepter"

"Loki's scepter, didn't S.H.I.E.L.D have that?"

"Yeah, but when me and Natasha found out that Hydra had grown in S.H.I.E.L.D for years it turns out some tech was stolen, or kept"

"Do you know who took it?"

"Yeah a man named Struker, we are working on finding the Hydra bases and then raiding them to find that scepter."

"Well good luck with that"

"Thanks, well I have taken out Hydra before, I'm pretty sure I can do it again"

"Do you always keep yourself busy?"

"Yeah, I have a hard time doing nothing" Steve said grabbing another glass

"Talking like a true soldier, after you get home the bed is too soft"

"Yeah, and every sound seems like an enemy"

"I know that pretty well" Rhodey said drinking his glass

Steve looked around and he found Clint talking to a model, but he noticed that Clint would glance over at him. It seemed like he was keeping a close eye on him and not paying much attention to the model standing in front of him.

"Well, it was nice… wow is that Natasha?" Rhodey asked

Steve was smiling and he looked over in the direction Rhodey was and he saw Natasha and she was wearing a red dress, it showed every curve and complemented every part of her body. It was also backless and had a slit to where her leg could show once every so often. Steve felt his heart jump and he saw how beautiful she was and her red lipstick and her emerald eyes were enough to make him a little lightheaded. Steve saw her take a step and he leg came forward and was shown as it passed through the slit and he saw her ivory skin shine slightly from the light. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He felt a minor pain in his head as if he was having a headache.

Steve blinked a few times and inhaled, trying to catch his breath. He suddenly saw Peggy standing in Natasha's place and they were at a pub and she was standing there in a red dress with red lipstick and her brown hair was wavy and she was stunning. Steve felt a painful pulse in his head and then he saw her lying in a bed very old and how she cried about how he was alive. Rhodey looked at Steve and noticed something was wrong.

"Hey Steve you ok?" Rhodey asked putting his hand on Steve's shoulder

Steve felt a jolt and he was back at the party and he saw Natasha talking to Clint. Steve looked at Rhodey.

"You ok man?"

Steve blinked and he nodded "Yeah, just a little out of it" Steve said and he felt lightheaded

"Do you need to sit down?"

"No, I just need to get some fresh air, it was good talking to you Rhodey, see you around" Steve said and he walked away and he felt another painful pulse in his head. He lightly groaned and he walked to the bathroom and closed the door and locked it. He turned on the sink and splashed cold water in his face. He stared at himself and looked into his blue eyes. He felt weird, almost like he was going to pass out. Steve blinked a few times and he breathed deeply and the wheezy feeling went away, his vison went back to normal. He took a deep breath and walked out.

Steve was back in the group of partiers and he walked through the crowd and he saw Natasha talking to Banner. Steve was about to make his way over to her when he saw her move her hair out of the way and he saw the ear rings that he gave her for Christmas and he felt his throat tighten. He closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply. He needed to focus, he felt that he was about to lose it. He took in steady deep breaths and he opened his eyes and the feeling of panic and anger went away. He needed to resolve some problems he was having. He knew that the situation with Natasha was hitting a nerve that he had put behind him a while ago, but know he felt the same as he did back then. He was still suffering from mild PTSD and he knew it, or maybe he was just torturing himself by remembering all these things that make him feel horrible.

Steve couldn't stay here, he needed to get away for a bit, he walked past Clint and he saw Clint notice and follow him. Clint noticed that Steve was leaving and he caught up to him.

"Hey Cap, where are you going?"

"I can't stay here right now" Steve said and he felt his throat tighten again and he saw himself with Peggy and she was in his arms and he blinked and he was back at the party with Clint talking to him.

"Where are you going?"

"Not far, just to my apartment. In just need a few days alone"

"Ok, well you call me if you need anything, I'm here to help buddy"

"I know you are, just say high to Natasha for me and tell her I had some personal things to do" Steve said and he walked away and he undid his tie and he felt like he could breathe again.

Steve walked into his room and got undressed and put on a normal attire for him and he walked out and he went to the stairs and he walked down them to the lobby. He decided to walk to his apartment, it wasn't far.

Steve came to his apartment an hour later and he opened the door and he walked in. he closed the door behind him and locked it. He went to the fridge and grabbed a cold water and he drank it down, his throat was dry and he felt tired. He needed a couple of days in some quiet solitude.

Steve stood under the warmth of the water from the shower and he held his gaze at the floor. He let the water run down his face and fly off and splatter against the wall of the shower. He closed his eyes and he exhaled, feeling the relaxing sensation of the water pouring over his head. Steve opened his eyes and looked up at the shower head and he saw it turn into a machine gun and fire at him. Steve stumbled back and fell down in the shower and shielded his eyes from it. He could hear footsteps and men yelling orders. Steve rubbed his eyes and he was back in the shower and the only thing he could here was the running water. He shook his head and he stood up and he turned off the water and the last bit flowed out in heavy drops and hit the wet floor with loud smacks and it made Steve jump as if he was hearing artillery fire.

Steve quickly got out of the shower and dried himself and he walked into his room and he tossed the towel across the room and he opened the dresser. He pulled out lounge pants and a white shirt. He slipped them on and he climbed into bed and pulled the covers over him and he shut off the dim lamp light. He put his head onto the pillow and he closed his eyes and listened to the silence of his apartment. He got lost in his thoughts about the party and before he knew it he was asleep.

Steve was lying on his back in his bed and he moved over onto his side and he opened his eyes and he saw no one lying next to him. He felt the urge to reach out and put his hand over on the right side of the bed. He saw his hand moving in the darkness and then it lightly touched the mattress, and no one was there. Steve frowned and he moved his hand slowly up and down the area where Natasha would be sleeping. He felt an urge to say her name, as if she had gotten up and was in the kitchen. He licked his lips and he took in a deep breath, he calmed himself and he exhaled and he looked back at the empty space and he knew that he was alone in the apartment. He sighed and turned back over onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling and he zoned out, and his mind went blank. He was thinking about something, but he couldn't remember what it was.

Steve blinked and he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked over to the right and it was Natasha and she was in her nightgown. Steve felt his heart begin to race and he put his hand on her face and he saw her smile and he smiled back. He brought her close and he wrapped his arm around her. Steve blinked and it wasn't Natasha anymore, it was Peggy and she kissed his shoulder and he rubbed his hand through her hair and then he blinked again and it was Peggy as she looked now and Steve took his hand away and yelped and he fell out of the bed. Steve landed on his back and his legs were still on the mattress and he groaned in discomfort and he moved his legs down and he sat up and he looked on his bed and no one was there.

Steve let out a breath and he rubbed his hand through his hair. He shook his head and climbed back into the bed and he tried to get comfortable again and he closed his eyes. He slowly drifted off into sleep and he felt a sudden jolt that took him out of it. Steve opened his eyes and he sat up. He looked around studying his room. He had a feeling something was watching him. Steve looked around the room one last time and he laid back down and he tried to get some sleep. Steve felt the embrace of deep sleep overtake him and he felt nothing but weightlessness.

Steve opened his eyes and the sun was shining through his window and he squinted at the light and his eyes quickly adjusted to it. Steve sat up and he climbed out of the bed and he walked to the kitchen and he noticed that there was an envelope under his door. Steve walked over and he grabbed it and he read it: _Hope you like it, and if it isn't the way you wanted it send it back and I'll redo it, with better specification, sincerely J.A.W._

Steve knew what it was and he took it over to the couch and he sat down and he opened it. He tilted the envelope and a necklace dropped into his hand. Steve looked at it and the silver encased a red gem. He turned it around so he could look at the red gem and there were two symbols engraved into it. It had his shield and then Natasha's hourglass in front of it. At the bottom on the silver encasing words were engraved into it: _Moving forward together._

Steve held the necklace in his hand and he felt his throat tighten and he felt tears form in his eyes. He was going to give Natasha this next month when their partnership would have been three years. He felt the tears fall onto his hand. He had gotten the idea for the necklace when he took her shopping for jewelry and he couldn't find anything that would match Natasha, so he had a custom piece made. He was looking forward to seeing her reaction to it, but now she doesn't even remember their relationship. Steve clenched his jaw at it and he closed his hand and he held it and he suddenly felt very angry. He stood up and put the necklace back into the envelope and he took it to his room and he stuffed it into his drawer in his desk at the very bottom. He slammed the drawer shut and he heard a loud thump inside of it.

Steve knelt down and he opened the main cabinet and he saw his sketch book. He grabbed it and he shut the small door and he sat down at the base of his bed and he opened the sketch book. He looked at the first picture and it was of him and Natasha sitting on the bench in Central park. Steve felt tears reforming in his eyes and he lightly rubbed the drawing where Natasha was sitting and he closed the sketch book and he set it onto the floor and he lightly sobbed into his hands, he had lost her, and he wanted her back.

Steve had stayed in his apartment all day and he really didn't move around, and a day turned into a week and a week into two. Steve had nightmares every night and he was beginning to become angrier with himself. He hadn't talked to Clint, even though he had numerous calls from him. Steve just ignored them and soon his phone died and he didn't care to recharge it. Steve began to eat less and less and he was easily angered now.

He saw Peggy everywhere and then Natasha, he couldn't get the two women out of his mind. He felt his mind slowly making him more unstable. He looked at his sketch book every night and it usually turned into a throwing, match between Steve and his nightmares. He started to get the memory flashes during the day now and he was reminded of how he felt his first year back they had said he was coping admirably, even though he was a wreck at home.

Steve was sitting by the end of his bed like he usually did and he was looking at his sketches again. He flipped through them and he looked at the one that had Natasha's head and had her smiling. He drew that during their first month on his leave. He flipped to another one and he saw her lying across a bed with a silk blanket covering her private parts. Steve remembered that evening. He closed the sketch book and he stood up and he looked at himself in a mirror. He didn't like what he saw, he had dark shadows under his eyes and he had blood shot eyes from his lack of sleep. He still kept care of himself with brushing and grooming, he also worked out every morning.

Steve felt miserable and he looked it. Steve didn't know what to do anymore and he looked down at the dresser and he opened the top drawer and he looked past his boxers and socks. He saw his pistol lying there and he moved his hand and it was shaking slightly and he took it in his hand and he lifted it out of the drawer. Something was screaming at him to put it back. He pulled out the mag and saw that it was fully loaded and he walked back over to the end of his bed and he sat down on the mattress and he held the gun in his hand and looked down at it. He could do it, and make it all stop, the nightmares, the painful memories. All of it would go away with a pull of a trigger. Steve brought the pistol up and he cocked it back and he saw the bullet get into place.

Steve turned the barrel around and he put it into his mouth. He could taste the cold metal and he took the safety off and he put his thumb on the trigger. He felt tears in his eyes and he started to breathe faster. He started to pull the trigger and he felt his hand begin to shake. He closed his eyes and he tried to pull the trigger, but his thumb wouldn't go any more. Steve quickly took the barrel out of his mouth and pointed it at his temple and he felt his hand shaking and he put his index finger on the trigger and he began to pull it. Steve flexed every muscle in his body and he tried to pull the trigger, but his thoughts came back to Natasha. He knew it would affect her deeply if she suddenly heard the news that her partner shot himself in the head committing suicide. He didn't want to put her through that. Steve pulled the gun away from his hand and he looked at it in disgust and he threw it across the room and it hit the wall and it broke into three pieces.

Steve put his head in his hands and he cried and he sobbed silently. He lifted his head and he looked at the floor and at the corner of his desk at the very bottom was a little piece of paper. He crawled over and he grabbed it and he went back over to the bed and he sat against it and he flipped the small piece of folded paper and it had is name on it.

He unfolded it and he saw that it was a full page of words, in Natasha's handwriting. Steve flattened it out and he brought it back up and it read:

_Steve, I wish I could say all of this to you in person, but I have trouble talking about feelings. I remember being on the deck of that helicarrier and seeing you walk down the ramp of the Quinjet. I will say you took me off guard, I won't say that I liked it, because I didn't. You seemed so odd to me, someone who would lay their life down for someone they didn't know. It was new to me, as the two years that went by when we were partners I grew a little more attached to you._

_Trying to get you a date was a side effect from that, deep down I liked you, but I never saw myself as good enough. You know my past haunts me, and when you had my file, I was afraid that you would read it and then become disgusted with me. So many others have, and I was used to it. I didn't care about what people thought, then I met you. I was afraid that if you learned anything from my past that you would become disgusted with me and not want to work with me._

_I never really had any fun till after I met you, even though our missions were almost suicidal, I enjoyed your company. Your oblivious, naïve, righteousness, and selflessness. You are all the things that I knew that I could never be. I worked in the dark place during out partnership and you were kept in the light, but you changed me. You made me feel, better about myself. You taught me that maybe it wasn't worth living the way I was, and to be myself and make active choices, good or bad._

_You gave me a push toward that and for that I will always be grateful. I know this is sounding all cliché, but the hell with it. I hope you can see that you need to make active choices to, Steven Rogers, you have my heart, and you are the joy in my life. I love you_

_And always remember, I chose you._

Steve reread the paper a few times and he slowly folded it back up and he sat there and he looked up to the ceiling and he let a few more tears flow down and he stood up. He walked over to his desk and he pulled out the drawer he had put the envelope in and he pulled it out. He put the piece of paper in the envelope and he placed it back down in the drawer; under all of the other papers. Steve closed the drawer and he walked over to his night stand and he plugged his phone into his charger. He set the phone back down and he sat down at the edge of the bed, he knew what he wanted to do, and Bucky wasn't going to like it.


	30. Epologue part 4

**Author's Note: Well this is it, the last chapter. It was a mind bender trying to get the story to tie into Age of Ultron, and I hope I did it well. The story may be over, but our imaginations can keep going and wonder what happens after Age of Ultron and in between Civil War. These two stories were my ideas about what happened in between Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron. I'm not sure if I will continue the story arc, but I do have another story idea in the works, and I hope all of you take a minute to check it out. I loved writing these two stories, and yes the epologue for this one is a heart breaker, but it was like this so it would tie into the movie, it wasn't because I wanted to be cruel, or was it. Anyway thank you all for reading. Review.**

_**Bucky**_

Bucky was shocked to get a message from Steve, and Bucky without delay made his way to New York. Bucky had been worried about him for a while now, besides it had been almost a month and he did say he would visit. Bucky was following coordinates to where Steve wanted to meet him. Bucky had Clint keep an eye on him, but Steve locked himself away in his apartment. Bucky had no idea what he did in there, but he hoped it was nothing stupid. Bucky could see the skyscrapers of New York City and he switched the Quinjet to stealth mode.

He had been living in the Quinjet for about a month now, he kept it clean, well as clean as he could. He had a little hammock in the back of the Quinjet so he could sleep and that was about it. He had kept in touch will Hill, and she seemed to be a little overwhelmed with working in the tower. She didn't have as much man power as she did in S.H.I.E.L.D. Bucky had made her promise to keep his location secret, even from Steve. He didn't want his best friend to show up randomly. Bucky wanted Steve to stay where he was needed and his friend didn't need him. They both lived very different lives, and they both had separate tasks to complete.

Bucky followed the coordinates to an abandoned warehouse, out in the middle of nowhere. Bucky raised his eye brows in surprise and he landed the Quinjet. He unstrapped himself and he climbed out of the pilot chair and he walked toward the ramp. He hit the manual release button and he walked down and he was now alone, late at night, and he had no idea what he was doing there. Bucky walked forward and then Steve appeared from behind a huge stack of boxes. Bucky saw that he looked horrible, but he seemed healthy. They met with smiles and then exchanged a friendly hug.

"Good to see you Bucky"

"It's always good to see you staying out of trouble" Bucky said and he followed Steve to the main door for the warehouse. "Where are we?" Bucky asked

"An abandoned Hydra base" Steve said pulling at the door.

Bucky's good mood slightly faded "What?"

"Don't worry I checked it out this afternoon, it's completely abandoned, but there is some equipment in here that we can use"

"When did you ever want to use Hydra gear?"

"Never, but it's the only way right now"

"Only way for what?" Bucky asked starting to get a little worried about what Steve had in mind.

"I'll explain inside, now do you want to help me with the door?"

"Sure" Bucky said walking forward and he put his hands on the huge door and he helped Steve open it.

They both gritted their teeth and the door gave away and slide open, just enough for them to fit inside. Steve went first and Bucky followed. Bucky stood next to Steve and they both looked at the empty warehouse.

"I thought you said that this place was full of equipment?" Bucky asked

Steve walked over and he put his hand on a leaver that would turn on the lights "It is" and he slammed the leaver down and the floor rumbled and it came apart in the center.

Bucky watched closely as stairs led down into the base. Steve walked over and patted Bucky on the shoulder.

"Shall we go down?"

"Is it just you and me?"

"Clint will be here soon"

"That's not what I meant"

"Yes it is empty, I told you that I scoped it out earlier. I just need an extra pair of hands to help me with something" Steve said and he blinked slightly and Bucky noticed that Steve seemed to be half here and half somewhere else

"Hey, are you ok?" Bucky said putting his hand on his shoulder

"No, I'm not ok, let's just get this done" Steve said and walked down the stairs

Bucky looked back and he followed. Bucky started to feel a little weird walking through an abandoned Hydra base, he felt like he had been there before. He followed Steve past a huge armory and he stopped to look at the huge arsenal of vehicles and weapons. Bucky looked down and he saw that they were all covered in dust and he turned and kept following Steve. He followed Steve past a laboratory and Bucky glanced in through the glass and he saw a huge metal box. He felt s sudden chill and he felt it in his head that was what he was put into when he was not on missions. Bucky suddenly felt very uncomfortable, but he kept walking and he tried to keep up with Steve.

Bucky was starting to feel exposed, like he was walking through his history. Bucky just kept his eyes straight and he followed Steve down another stairway and then they came to a room with a chair in the center and Bucky felt a shutter of fear when he saw it. It was what Hydra used to brainwash him. Bucky slowly took a few steps forward, his legs didn't want to move. Steve flipped on a few switches and he looked back at Bucky as the power came back on and the room became lit with a dim golden light.

The chair hummed to life and Bucky slightly shuttered at the noise. Steve walked over and put his hand on Bucky's shoulder

"I know this is a little touchy area for you, but stay focused" Steve said

Bucky nodded and he took a deep breath, keeping calm. Steve walked over and he pulled open the wrist restraints and he sat down in the chair and then locked the wrist restraints.

"Steve what are you doing?" Bucky asked

"Come on, turn it on" Steve said completely calm

"What?"

"I want you to turn it on" Steve said and he blinked and inhaled slowly to relax.

"Steve, no" Bucky said realizing what Steve wanted "I'm not going to brainwash you"

"Why not?"

Bucky stammered and he blinked and his eyes were looking from the floor to Steve.

"You don't want to experience this"

"Bucky, I can't sleep, I can barely eat, and I am driving myself crazy"

"So brainwashing you will just fix it?"

"If you do it right yes"

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Clint said in the door way

"Barton explain to him that this is a horrible idea" Bucky said looking back at him

"Cap what are you doing?"

"I just want them to stop" Steve said

"This is about Natasha isn't it?"

"She's part of it yes"

"Steve just tell her and go from there" Clint said

"No, I just can't. I want you to erase my memory for the past five months"

"But you'll forget everything about your relationship with her" Clint said

"Also Steve, I don't know how to work this wretched thing, I could take all of it away" Bucky said

"I'm willing to risk that, but in have faith in you that you can do it"

"This is fucking insane" Clint said

"Clint, I see both of them everywhere I go, I have memory flashes and nightmares, and I don't sleep. I spend all my time constantly thinking about them both and then I get theses awful feelings and then just last night I almost shot myself. I am desperate and this thing is the only thing I can think of"

"Wait you almost shot yourself?" Clint said

"Yeah, and now I just want all of it to go away. Natasha is fine, it's all me that is messed up at the moment."

"Steve no" Bucky said

"Guys, she doesn't remember anything, and now I have to still go with her when she invites me to do something. As much as it hurts I want to, but not feeling like this, if we get together later great if not, I would rather not remember it. She can't remember it, I don't want to remember it"

"Steve this is…"

"Crazy I know"

"You won't remember finding me either" Bucky said

Steve paused "Yes, but I'll end up seeing you eventually. Clint you will need to fill me in after this"

"What makes you think that we're going to do this?" Clint asked

"Because I asked you to, and this is my choice, for better or for worse"

Clint looked up at the ceiling "Shit, fine Barnes get the thing ready" Clint said

Bucky shook his head and he nodded "Why the hell not, I never could change your mind from something"

Clint grabbed the mouth guard and put it into Steve's mouth and then Bucky pressed a few buttons and he saw the metal arm clamps attached to Steve's arms. Bucky walked over and pressed another button and a face guard came up and attacked itself to Steve's face. Bucky looked at Clint "This is your last chance to get out of this"

"Just do it" Steve said and he took a few deep breaths and Bucky switched to a few settings and set for five months and he hovered his hand over the red button. Steve moved his eyes in his direction and gave a little nod. Bucky closed his eyes and slammed his hand down on the button and the lights slightly dimed and then the room was filled with buzzing and Steve felt the shock got to his brain and he groaned loudly and he gritted his teeth. He felt the pain increase and increase and he felt his heart racing and he felt his mind slowly fading and slightly forgot why he was there and he felt another jolt of pain and he let out a painful yell. Bucky kept his eyes closed, he didn't want to watch, but the screams were enough to haunt him. Bucky saw Steve's eyes close and then he stopped shaking and Bucky hit the button again and the chair turned off. The arm clamps came undone and he and Clit pulled Steve out of the chair and carried him back to the surface.

Clint's car was parked next to the Quinjet and they carried Steve tower it and put him in the back seat lying across them. Clint shut the door and he walked over to Bucky.

"He should wake up in a couple of hours, you'll need to fill him in on everything"

"I can do that"

"We know that it was the right thing to do"

"Maybe" Clint said

"Well, I better stay away, well I have an old friend to hunt"

"Hey Barnes, stay safe" Clint said

"You to, watch out for all of them" Bucky said and he walked up the ramp and he hit the button and it closed.

Clint watched as the Quinjet flew away and he turned back toward his car and he climbed into it and put the keys into the ignition. He looked back at Steve and then he drove forward heading toward Steve's apartment.

_One week later…_

Clint had not enjoyed the past week, but Steve got what he wanted. He didn't remember a thing about the relationship and ironically the last he could remember was a masked man attacking the tower, he guessed it was funny that both of them would forget the exact amount of time. Clint had seen them on the balcony before that happened and how they were about to kiss. Maybe they could still get together, one of these days. Clint explained to Steve about everything that Steve wanted to know. Now he was the only one who knew the truth, well except Barnes, and now he had no contact with him. Barnes thought it would do better if he stayed a ghost. Steve was still on about looking for him, but he said that Bucky could wait.

Clint will admit that he liked that Steve was back to being who he was. Natasha and him still talked liked friends and hung out on occasion. Clint guessed everything had ended pretty well after all. Most of their time was put into hunting for that damn scepter. Clint had spent a few days looking for Hydra bases that Steve had piled up in a bunch of files. Natasha helped, Tony saw it as not worth his time, and Bruce, well he just did what he always did. Thor would grow a little impatient, but he never pushed it. They had already been through two raids and now that meant two bases scratched off the list.

Clint was amazed, well they all were when in the first raid of the first base. After they had accomplished the goal and that Hulk was still agitated that Natasha was actually able to calm him down. She got Hulk to turn back into Bruce, which was something. So now Natasha had done it twice and that meant she had to do it every time he hulked out. Clint had come up with the idea for something that they would say if they needed the Hulk, it didn't help when most of them could handle it and you had a huge green guy who liked to smash things running rampant. Clint liked to say Code Green and it stuck.

Steve was taking the leading role head on and he did it quite admirably. They had found a third base and they were about to leave on a raid. Clint, Natasha, Bruce, and Steve were in the Quinjet. Tony and Thor could fly so it wasn't exactly a conversation of them being in the Quinjet when the fighting started. They were somewhere in northern Spain and it was lightly raining. Clint was flying the Quinjet and he could see the base within sight.

"Cap, there it is"

"Ok, fly low." Steve looked at Natasha "You get dropped off from here and take the motorcycle, you will surprise them"

Steve put his hand to his ear and he spoke "Stark you are air support and Thor, well get the party started"

Steve looked at Clint and smirked.

A loud crack of thunder hit the Hydra soldier's ears and they saw a lightning bolt fly across the sky. They sounded the alarm and they filed out and armed the air guns and other got into vehicles.

"Um… Cap is this a Code Green?" Bruce asked

Steve looked at Bruce and nodded "You will cover Nat, you think you can do that?"

"Yeah, why not"

Steve turned back to face the cockpit and he stood next to Clint. The Quinjet lowered down and Natasha turned on the motorcycle and a hatch opened under her and she hit the ground and sped forward. Bruce pulled off his glasses and he jumped down and he hit the ground and rolled and turned into the hulk as he did. He took a step and jumped forward and landed thirty feet away from Natasha.

Natasha drove over a slope and he went through the air and landed and then two Hydra trucks came flying out of the brush. Natasha slightly slowed and missed the trucks and he sped up and bolted past them. The trucks turned and followed her. Hulk jumped and landed on one and he ran and hit the other one with his fist and it flew into the trees. Natasha was coming to the opening and three trucks came out of nowhere and they all headed toward her and they were going in different directions. They were going to crush her. She floored it and he stood up on the seat and balanced and surfed on the motorcycle. The three trucks got closer and she jumped into the air as they were about to smash her.

She felt Hulk catch her and then the three trucks smashed into each other and exploded. The shockwave made Hulk flip forward and he rolled and he came up and Natasha was in his arms and he put her down. Natasha turned to see a large amount of Hydra forces. She glanced over at Hulk and he stood ready.

"Hey Rogers we have a problem"

"All part of the plan" Steve said and he tapped Clint on the shoulder and Clint pressed the button for the ramp to lower.

"Thor you inbound?"

"Yes"

"Stark?"

"Yep"

"Ok, well let's teach them a lesson"

Steve grabbed his shield and he put on his helmet and clipped the bottom strap and he felt the Quinjet lower and he saw the path speeding past in his vison. He counted to three and ran and jumped out. He fell through the air and he could see Natasha and Hulk through his blurry vison. He saw Thor's red cape pop up next to Natasha and he saw Stark flying past him. The Hydra forces were close and they all had their guns pointed at the Avengers.

Clint aimed the main guns and he kept his finger on the trigger and he waited for the signal from Steve. Steve hit the ground and rolled and he stood in front of them all. Stark hovered next to Hulk and he scanned and highlighted all the heavy weaponry and he was ready to destroy them all in one go. Steve took a step forward "Avengers… Assemble" Steve said and Clint fired the main gun and bullets hit numerous targets and they all ran forward and Steve brought his shield up and swung it at a soldier. Natasha jumped and brought her foot up to hit a soldier in the face. Thor threw his hammer toward a turret, and Tony fired at the heavy weaponry and Hulk jumped forward and the last thing that the soldier's saw was a huge green hand reaching for them.

_**Somewhere in Russia**_

A man was sitting at a café and he was drinking a cup of coffee and he had a long coat on. The snow had started to fall and he had a hat on and his face was burned on his left side and he was blind in his left eye. He stood up and he walked toward the exit and he walked out onto the sidewalk and he looked up at a building that was thirty feet away and he saw a man with long brown hair and he had a face mask with black glasses. He saw a large amount of traffic coming and he smiled and chuckled lightly and he climbed onto a bus as it past and he disappeared into the large amount of traffic.


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's note: Hello past readers of this story, or the ones who just finished it. I have been getting many questions about if there is a sequel? Well yes there is a sequel to this story. The one after this is called ****Hunting The Spider, ****probably to many of you this will make you not want to read it, because Steve and Natasha aren't in it, they are mentioned. This story takes place right where ****Hunt, Kill, Love 2**** left off with Bucky and the months leading up to the release of Ultron, it is meant as a: what is Bucky doing during those events, and the problems he faces on his own. It explores more character development for Bucky, Maria Hill, and the villain Niko. You don't have to read it, but since there is another story after that which already has fifteen chapters. I would recommend reading it if you want to know where Bucky and Hill are in their relationship. Also if you want to learn a little more about Niko. You can find all of these on my page, so click on my name to see the stories, and I hope you all enjoy reading them. Also thanks for all the feedback and showing your love for the characters and the story.**

**Again I recommend reading Hunting The Spider. It's not as long as the first two stories, I hope you enjoy!**


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